Another strong cold front will make Friday a harsh fall reality for summer lovers

A cold front will be our weather maker for the next several days. It will make several types of weather here in Michigan. First we get showers from the front and then chilly air. If you want the last official summer weekend to be summery, the weather will be improving through the holiday weekend. A cold front is moving southward tonight and Thursday, coming straight from the north and pushing across lower Michigan. This system will bring a round of showers, though nothing substantial or severe is expected. The front will begin affecting the Upper Peninsula this evening, reach northern Lower Michigan around midnight, and move into the southern half of the state during Thursday morning into afternoon. Total rainfall is expected to be a quarter to half inch for most areas, with northern Lower Michigan potentially seeing up to three-quarters of an inch. Friday will be notably cooler, with temperatures only reaching the 60s and a stiff north wind making it feel like fall may be here. It will be a sweatshirt day. Morning temperatures will begin cooling, especially by Saturday morning when inland areas could see temperatures in the 30s. This cooler weather may trigger trees to begin their fall color change earlier than in recent years, though the process could pause if warmer weather returns. The holiday weekend is shaping up to be pleasant with a warming trend. Saturday will start the turnaround with temperatures climbing back to comfortable levels under full sunshine. Sunday will be even warmer, reaching around 75 degrees with light winds making it feel like 80. Labor Day itself looks very, very nice with temperatures expected to range from 78 to 82 degrees across Lower Michigan. The meteorologist rated it as potentially "six stars on a five-star rating." One notable feature of the weekend forecast is the light to almost calm wind conditions at times. The meteorologist explained that meteorologists observe wind through pressure gradients, and the weekend shows very few pressure lines across Lower Michigan, indicating light winds. Saturday morning is expected to be dead calm. Additionally, after Thursday's showers move through, dry conditions are forecast for most areas through the holiday weekend. The race is on toward permanent fall weather. This cold front is part of a pattern of fall cold fronts, with each one bringing progressively cooler air. After the Labor Day warmup, another cold front is expected next Thursday. That cold front will bring even cooler temperatures, with 30s starting to appear in northern Wisconsin. While temperatures will rebound into the 80s after Friday's cooldown, the overall pattern suggests the seasonal transition is underway.