LAKE ST. CLAIR (WWJ) - Boaters in Metro Detroit are set to head out onto Lake St. Clair on Friday in celebration of one of America's largest boat parties, Jobbie Nooner.
But it looks like the weather is in no mood to party.
"It is raining out here," WWJ's Charlie Langton reported live from the lake. "In fact, it's overcast and honestly not a lot of people here at the South River boat launch, which is normally a pretty good spot for Jobbie Nooner."
The annual boat fest typically draws over 10,000 boats and over 100,000 people, but Langton said it appears party goers are waiting for the weather to clear.
"It is a little bit overcast and not a great day," Langton continued. "I'm told that, you know, maybe the people will wait a little bit, but hey, it is still Jobbie Nooner here on Lake Saint Clair!"
It's been over four decades since a group of friends decided to skip out on work to party on Lake St. Clair, but the tradition still stands as boats gathered off of Gull Island for a day of drinking, sun and fun.
The boating event has been held on the last Friday of June every year since 1974, when 17 autoworkers who called themselves "Jobbies" decided to head out on to the water at noon to celebrate a friend's birthday, giving birth to the party's name, "Jobbie Nooner."
AccuWeather Meteorologist Dean DeVore said St. Clair and Wayne Counties, where most people will launch their boats into Lake St. Clair, are forecasted to have scattered to numerous showers, which will move east to west during the morning.
Cloudy conditions are expected for most of Friday where temperatures will struggle to stay in the low 70s and even dip into the high 60s. Winds will blow northeast at 5 to 10 mph.
The National Weather Service's marine forecast for Lake St. Clair said waves will be at a height of two feet or less.
A stray thunderstorm is also possible, DeVore advised.
And storms are taken seriously, as the annual summer boat party - which is often touted as the second largest in the Midwest behind Raft Off at Muscamoot Bay - is known to go from fun to deadly due to the weather.
As reported by The Detroit News, one man died in 2021 after he and his friend were caught in a storm while out on Lake St. Clair. The pair had taken a 14' aluminum boat to Jobbie Nooner and were attempting to reach shore when the storm blew in.
The two men were separated after the boat began to take on water. The friend made it to safety, but the other man's body was found by rescuers the next morning.
Langton said while party goers maybe staying clear of the lake for now as showers are expected to tamper into the afternoon hours, but the wet weather on Friday morning hasn't stopped other boaters from enjoying the peace and quiet.
One Sterling Heights resident took to the water for some fishing ahead of the drinking, loud music and crowds of people.
"Well, they won't be out here today with the weather going on like it is," he told Langton. "So, if they are, they're crazy."
Headed out to Jobbie Nooner? Stayed tuned to the latest weather updates with WWJ Traffic and Weather on the :08s