Metro Detroit is in for another cold night, with frost and near-freezing temperatures possible early Tuesday morning before a wetter pattern arrives Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Alerts

A Freeze Warning will go into effect at midnight and remain in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday for Sanilac, Lapeer, St. Clair, and Macomb counties, where temperatures could drop to 27 degrees.

A Frost Advisory will blanket the remainder of Southeast Michigan, including Genesee, Livingston, Oakland, Washtenaw, Wayne, Lenawee, and Monroe counties during the same time span.

The coldest temperatures are expected north and west of Detroit.

Even if your thermometer reads 35 or 36 degrees, frost can still form on grass, rooftops, decks, and vehicles.

That is because surfaces cool more quickly than the air several feet above the ground.

Under clear skies and light winds, heat escapes rapidly from the ground overnight through a process called radiational cooling.

Cold air also sinks and settles into lower spots, allowing temperatures near the surface to briefly reach freezing while official air temperatures remain a few degrees warmer.

That means the temperature at ground level where plants are located can be colder than the temperature reported by a standard thermometer mounted several feet above the surface.

Sensitive plants and vegetation could be damaged or killed by the cold.

How to protect plants

Gardeners are encouraged to protect tender plants overnight by covering them with lightweight fabric sheets, blankets or frost cloths.

Bringing potted plants indoors or into a garage can also help prevent damage. Experts recommend avoiding plastic coverings directly on plants because plastic can trap moisture and transfer cold temperatures to leaves.

Flowers, vegetables, herbs and newly planted annuals are especially vulnerable this time of year.

Tomatoes, peppers, basil, petunias and other warm season plants are among those most sensitive to freezing temperatures.

The chilly pattern will not last long.

Clouds increase Tuesday morning, followed by scattered showers developing during the afternoon.

Temperatures rebound into the upper 50s and lower 60s with a gusty south breeze developing during the day.

Rain becomes more widespread Tuesday evening and Tuesday night. A few thunderstorms and rumbles of thunder are also possible overnight as a stronger weather system moves through the Great Lakes.

Severe weather is not expected, but brief downpours, gusty winds and small hail cannot be ruled out in a few stronger storms Tuesday night.

Behind the system, cooler air returns Wednesday with highs mainly in the 50s to around 60 degrees and gusty west winds.

Sunshine and milder weather return later in the week, with temperatures climbing into the 60s Thursday and around 70 degrees Friday.

This weekend

By the weekend, Southeast Michigan will get a taste of early summer.

Temperatures are expected to surge into the upper 70s and lower 80s Saturday through Monday, although there will be occasional chances for showers during the weekend.

That includes Flower Day on Sunday at Eastern Market in Detroit, one of the city’s most beloved spring traditions.

Thousands of people are expected to visit the market to shop for flowers, plants, herbs and garden supplies as growers from across the region fill the sheds with color.

Right now, the forecast calls for warm temperatures near 80 degrees Sunday with a chance of scattered showers.

While it may not be a completely dry weekend, it will feel dramatically different compared to the frosty start to the week.

For now, though, gardeners across Southeast Michigan will want to focus on protecting sensitive plants from one more cold Michigan night.

Remember to share your weather and garden photos with Local 4 at MIPics.

There’s a moment toward the end of the night where Bruno Mars is using that raspy tenor of voice of his to sing his 2012 hit “Locked Out of Heaven” as if he was launched out of a rocket. The crowd is hanging and swinging on every note, confetti is pouring down, Mars is over two hours into his set with barely any breaks, but his swagger feels so effortless. It was as if you could throw him a cup of ice water and he could go for another two hours.

For Mars, this is just another day at the office.

Saturday was the first of two nights in which Mars’s The Romantic Tour set up shop in the Detroit Lions’ Ford Field. The night started off with a 30-minute energetic DJ set from Anderson .Paak’s alter ego, “DJ Pee .Wee.” That was followed by another 30-minute set from singer Leon Thomas, who is fresh off Grammy Award wins for Best R&B Album (MUTT) and Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Vibes Don’t Lie”).

Mars, a 40-year-old native of Hawaii, has sold over 20 million albums and won 16 Grammy Awards. He’s always been a wild mix of James Brown and Justin Bieber — this generation’s impresario of funk with a mutant-like ability to create over-the-top pop hits. The Romanic, released on Feb. 27, is his fourth solo album and first project in four years. 

Mars hit the stage right at 8:45 p.m. dressed in a casual crimson lounge suit and headband while accompanied by his band the Hooligans. From the jump the energy was magnetic. Mars dove right into songs “Risk It All,” “Treasure,” and “On My Soul” (he performed all nine songs from The Romantic). His stage presence and synchrony with the Hooligans was subtle and effective. They routinely swaggered into a choreographed doo-wop dance steps that were evenly spread out through out the night. At times there were multiple members playing trumpet and other times they were all on guitars. Mars himself jumped on the conga drums on “Cha Cha Cha,” played the guitar on “Something Serious,” and played the piano on “It Will Rain,” “Talking to the Moon,” and “When I was Your Man.”

4Warn Weather – Cooler temperatures remain across Southeast Michigan for the start of the workweek, however, we’ll turn much warmer into the weekend.

Skies turn mainly clear Sunday night with a light northwest wind. Temperatures will fall to the low 30s to near 40°.

You’ll want to cover your plants or bring them indoors as frost will be possible. A Frost Advisory will be in effect for most of Southeast Michigan from midnight tonight until 7 a.m. Monday.

Monday will look beautiful with mostly sunny skies. It’ll still be chilly though – afternoon temperatures will only reach the mid to upper 50s.

Winds Monday will be out of the north at 5-10 mph.

Temperatures will once again be in the 30s Monday night, so it will be another night to protect your plants.

We then recover nicely with most reaching the low 60s Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Although we’re a bit warmer, the next chance for rain will arrive Tuesday afternoon and linger into Wednesday.

Thursday brings back the sunshine and warmer weather. Highs will be in the mid 60s before we reach the low 70s Friday.

The upcoming weekend looks even warmer with highs near 80°, but we also see the next chances for rain.