textproduct: Duluth

KEY MESSAGES

- Showers today slowly taper in coverage tonight with Drizzle continuing into Saturday morning. - Dangerous swimming conditions expected for the beaches of the Twin Ports at times today through Monday. - Frost is possible each night from Sunday through Wednesday night.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 226 PM CDT Fri Sep 18 2026

For the rest of the day, light rain showers will continue this afternoon before ending from west to east for areas south of US Highway 2. As we head into tonight, expect overnight drizzle and patchy fog to develop. This could keep some surfaces wet and slick into early Saturday morning before slowly ending during the mid to late morning hours tomorrow. Aside from the rain showers today, drizzle tonight, and some inland northern Wisconsin rain showers tomorrow, it is a dry forecast for the region.

Gusty easterly winds will continue into the southwest arm of Lake Superior this weekend, affecting beaches in the Twin Ports with dangerous rip currents. While the ongoing Beach Hazard Statement for today will expire tonight, expect a few more days of these similar headlines this weekend and into at least Monday.

On Sunday, strong easterly winds are forecast for the southwest arm and the South Shore. This setup has a 40 percent chance of bringing 35 to 40 mph wind gusts to shoreline locations during the daytime. While this is not enough for a Wind Advisory, it will be gusty for any outdoor weekend plans. High pressure will begin to settle over the area keeping precipitation chances near zero.

As we look toward the extended forecast, frost is increasingly likely for cold spots of inland northwest Wisconsin and far northern Minnesota late Sunday night into Monday morning. Frost Advisories may be needed for that time period, but a zone or two of Freeze Warnings could also be warranted for areas along the International Border if skies can clear out.

The forecast trends into show continued cool nights Monday night and Tuesday night so even additional at least frost and maybe freeze headlines are likely. High pressure will remain in control over the Great Lakes region, keeping our weather mostly clear and quiet from Tuesday through Thursday. High temperatures will generally hover in the upper 50s to middle 60s throughout the week.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 1237 PM CDT Fri Sep 18 2026

Ongoing rain showers south of the Iron Range today continue into this evening. Expect IFR ceilings today for some terminals in northern Minnesota and inland northwest Wisconsin. IFR to LIFR ceilings though become more predominant and widespread tonight with most terminals also dropping into at least MVFR visibility. Drizzle, or at least mist, is forecast to accompany those very low ceilings tonight and could lead to a light amount of liquid precipitation by early Saturday morning. Ceilings very slowly lift later Saturday morning as easterly to southeasterly winds prevail.

MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/

Issued at 206 PM CDT Fri Sep 18 2026

Hazardous conditions will persist for small craft on western Lake Superior tonight as northeast winds of 10 to 15 knots gust to 25 knots. A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect from Grand Marais to Duluth to Port Wing. Gusty easterly winds continue into the southwest arm and along the South Shore this weekend. Strong easterly winds are forecast for the southwest arm and South Shore with a 40 percent chance of 35 knot gusts Sunday daytime. Gales are possible for Outer Apostle Islands, but also lesser so for the Twin Ports and Saxon Harbor areas Sunday.

For the open water discussion, refer to the NWS Marquette Area Forecast Discussion at weather.gov/mqt.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 205 PM CDT Fri Sep 18 2026

There are no fire weather concerns for the forecast period. Minimum relative humidity values will remain above 35 percent through the next seven days. Rain showers today, followed by drizzle tonight, will provide light to locally moderate moisture to districts south of US Hwy 2. Winds will generally remain out of the east and northeast through the weekend, becoming locally gusty on Sunday, before remaining light out of the southeast by the middle of next week.

See the Fire Weather Forecast product for a more thorough breakdown of fire weather conditions.

DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MN...Beach Hazards Statement until 1 AM CDT Saturday for MNZ037. WI...Beach Hazards Statement until 1 AM CDT Saturday for WIZ001. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 10 PM CDT this evening for LSZ141>145.