textproduct: Duluth

KEY MESSAGES

- Very cold wind chills between 25 and 35 below zero continue through late morning across all of northern Minnesota.

- Lake effect snow persists along the South Shore today with additional accumulations of 1 to 2 inches through tonight.

- A quick moving clipper system brings 1 to 2 inches of widespread light snow to the Northland Saturday night and Sunday.

- Temperatures begin a gradual warming trend this weekend with highs returning to the 20s and maybe low 30s next week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 230 AM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

A very cold arctic air mass remains in place today. High pressure building in from the west is allowing for mostly clear skies over inland Minnesota, but the very cold air combined with a light northerly breeze is producing dangerous wind chills. Expect these values to range from 25 to 35 below zero through mid-morning today. The ongoing Cold Weather Advisory remains in effect until 11 AM for these conditions. Daytime highs will struggle to climb out of the single digits above zero despite the sunshine.

While inland areas remain dry, north-northeasterly onshore flow is creating lake effect snow streamers for Douglas and Bayfield counties this morning, and more light widespread showers for Ashland and Iron Counties. Early this morning, focus remains on far northern Douglas and Bayfield counties where 1 to 2 inches of snow may accumulate from that streamer. As winds shift slightly more northerly during the daytime hours today, the focus for this lake effect will transition toward northern Iron and eastern Ashland counties. An additional inch or two is expected in these locations through this evening before the lake effect activity tapers off late tonight...last in typical snowbelt areas of northern Iron County.

A shift in the weather pattern begins Saturday as winds turn to the southwest. This will start a warming trend, with Saturday highs reaching the upper teens and low 20s under sunny skies. Clouds will slowly increase from west to east Saturday night ahead of a clipper system moving in from the Plains. This system will bring a period of light snow to the entire region starting around midnight Saturday in north-central Minnesota. The clipper moves into northwest Wisconsin then towards Sunday daylight morning hours. Expect a widespread 1 to 2 inches of fresh snow in northern Minnesota and closer to 0.5 to 1.5 inches for northwest Wisconsin. These widespread conditions may cause slippery travel conditions and minor drifting in open areas of northern Minnesota where south winds will gust up to 20 mph early Sunday morning and decrease through the daytime.

Looking ahead to next week, temperatures will continue to moderate toward or even slightly above seasonal averages. Highs on Monday and Tuesday will generally be in the 20s. Another weak disturbance may clip the southern half of the region Tuesday into Wednesday, potentially bringing a light dusting of snow mainly south of the Iron Range. By the end of the week, there is a possibility for temperatures to reach or exceed the freezing mark, though this remains dependent on the exact track of the jet stream and a clipper dropping in from the northwest Thursday somewhere in the Upper Midwest (currently favored for bringing precipitation to the Northland...but highly contingent on that upper-air track and easily could change over the coming days).

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 528 AM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

Mix of VFR and MVFR conditions will prevail today. The South Shore to Arrowhead to Borderlands has the highest chance of seeing those MVFR ceilings through much of this TAF period. A few hours of IFR visibility from pockets of mist are expected at INL and HIB early this morning, but clearing out towards mid- morning. A few light snow showers cannot be entirely ruled out for HYR during the daylight hours today as lake effect snow showers push inland. Light northerly winds today gusting to 15 knots become calm tonight and then southerly for Saturday morning.

MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/

Issued at 233 AM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for ice free areas of the South Shore and the northern tip of the Arrowhead as north winds gust to 25 knots. Waves of 3 to 5 feet along the South Shore will subside later this morning. Heavy freezing spray is possible in the Outer Apostle Islands this morning. Winds turn southwest Saturday night with gusts to 30 knots possible near Grand Portage.

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

DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MN...Cold Weather Advisory until 11 AM CST this morning for MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038. WI...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 10 PM CST this evening for LSZ140- 141. Cold Weather Advisory until 11 AM CST this morning for LSZ142. Small Craft Advisory until 10 AM CST this morning for LSZ146- 148-150.