Warm stretch to end abruptly with cold front, wind gusts up to 45 mph

The pleasant weather we’ve been having is going to end rather abruptly as we get into the second half of this week. A cold front is expected to swing through the Great Lakes region on Thursday, causing strong winds and rain in some areas during the afternoon and overnight hours. Behind the front, temperatures are going to drop off from the mild weather we’ve been having the past few days.

RELATED: Very warm days ahead of cold front, possibly one record high

Wind forecast for Thursday afternoon into the evening hours.National Weather Service

Thursday is going to start off in the upper 30s to low 40s across the state, and temperatures are going to quickly rise from there. By the afternoon hours, high temperatures are going to get into the mid to upper 50s, with some areas in the southern portion of Michigan potentially reaching 60 degrees before evening. The day, for the most part, is going to be a dry one, with mostly cloudy to completely overcast skies across Michigan.

Winds are going to pick up throughout the afternoon on Thursday, becoming their strongest Thursday evening and into the later night hours. Sustained winds out of the south-southwest are expected to get in the 15-25 mph range due to this strong cold front, and wind gusts will also be on the strong side.

Wind gusts up to 45 mph are possible with this system, so it would be a good idea to secure any objects that could blow around in the yard. Behind the cold front, winds are going to quickly calm down and shift to be in a more northerly direction.

Besides the winds, steady rain is expected out ahead of the cold front during the night on Thursday and into very early Friday morning. Places that will see the most rainfall are going to be in Northern and Mid-Lower Michigan areas, though everyone can expect some amount of rain overnight on Thursday and into Friday morning.

Temperatures are going to drop substantially behind the cold front by Friday. High temperatures are only going to get into the low to mid 40s on Friday afternoon in the Lower Peninsula, with highs in the U.P. staying in the mid to upper 30s. Enjoy the mild weather while it lasts.