Memorial Day 2017 Weather Forecast For Michigan And Beyond

If you’re planning outdoor activities this weekend, you may may have to dodge a few showers if you’re staying in the Detroit area, according to the extended forecast from the National Weather Service. Rain is in the forecast Saturday night and Sunday, but Memorial Day itself should be a great day to be outside.

The auto club AAA says nearly 40 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home this Memorial Day weekend, the largest number expected in more than a decade.

In the Detroit area, it will be mostly sunny with a high around 78 on Saturday, then partly sunny with highs in the mid-70s both Sunday and Monday. Rain chances exist each day, the National Weather Service says.

It will be a bit warmer along the Lake Michigan shore, with partly sunny skies Saturday through Monday, with highs in the 70s. Chances of rain exist throughout the period.

If you’re heading to Mackinac Island, skies will be partly sunny with highs in the upper 60s both Saturday and Sunday, and mostly cloudy on Memorial Day, with temperatures in the low 60s.

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Here’s what AccuWeather.com says about the 2017 Memorial Day weather forecast in other parts of the country:

The weather will mostly cooperate if you’re traveling to the west, but if you’re staying in the central United States or heading east, you could get hit with downpours and cooler temperatures.

Heavy rain and strong thunderstorms are expected to develop and extend from parts of the central states Plains to a portion of the middle Mississippi Valley on Saturday in response to a buildup of moisture and some warmth. Airline delays may be possible as the storms pass over major airports, and on the road, downpours will increase the risk of hydroplane-related accidents.

If you’re headed out to the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, the storm system could delay or postpone the race. But if the storm system moves quickly, the weather may clear before the race starts.

If you’re headed to the East, the weather should be dry and warmer to start the Memorial Day weekend. “While we expect building warmth during at least part of the Memorial Day weekend along the Atlantic Seaboard, we do not expect a repeat of last week's record warmth,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.

The best Memorial Day Weekend weather will be found in the West, where temperatures will be summerlike, so be sure to pack shorts and sunscreen and sport your sunglasses if you’re headed anywhere from the Intermountain West to the Pacific coast.

AccuWeather says a few storms will dot the Rockies, mainly from the Continental Divide to the Foothills each day, and hikers should be prepared for the risk of lightning strikes during the afternoon and evening hours. However, storms aren’t expected over the Cascades and Sierra Nevada.

Photo by Rachel Kramer, via Flickr Commons