textproduct: Duluth

KEY MESSAGES

- A few light rain and snow showers will continue to affect the Northland this afternoon into early evening. Minimal accumulations expected.

- Colder than average temperatures are expected through at least Wednesday. Overnight low temperatures will be in the 20s and low 30s through the work week.

- Additional scattered rain or snow showers are possible Wednesday afternoon, with minimal accumulations. Otherwise, only occasional and slight precipitation chances for the remainder of the forecast period.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 237 PM CDT Tue May 5 2026

The rest of this afternoon and evening will be characterized by unseasonably chilly temperatures and a few light rain or snow showers. Radar has been somewhat anemic so far this afternoon, but we have been getting reports of rain/snow showers. A persistent northwest wind will gust between 20 and 30 mph at times, making the air feel much colder than the actual temperatures in the mid 30s to lower 40s. While accumulations are not expected, the showers will move quickly across the region through the early evening hours before clouds begin to clear out around mid evening.

Temperatures are on track to fall into the mid to upper 20 across most of the Northland tonight. As the sky clears and winds settle slightly, temperatures will drop into the mid to upper 20s, which is about 5 to 10 degrees below normal for early May.

Wednesday will be a rinse and repeat of today. Expect mostly cloudy skies to develop by the afternoon with a 20 percent chance of light rain or snow showers. High temperatures will only rise into the 40s to perhaps near 50. The northwest winds will be lighter than today, so it will not feel quite as chilly as today.

Thursday and Friday will mark the beginning of a gradual warming trend as high pressure slowly pushes east of the area and winds become southwesterly. Highs by Friday will be in the mid 50s to low 60s. We should also have more sunshine by Friday, with a drying trend contributing to minimum RH values in the 25 to 30 percent range. That, combined with the lack of significant rainfall this week will lead to elevated fire weather concerns for Friday.

The persistent cyclonic northwest flow at the upper levels over the region continues through the weekend. A shortwave will dive through the region Friday night, which should bring a chance for showers overnight. Saturday will be another warm day with similar temperatures as Friday and a few lingering rain shower chances. Cooler temperatures are expected for Sunday, with highs only in the 50s as a fresh shot of cold air moves in from the north. There may be additional small precipitation chances as well.

Early next week the upper level cyclonic flow shifts east, allowing warmer temperatures to push back into the area, pushing temperatures near to above normal. There may also be some intermittent precipitation chances as shortwaves move through the upper level flow.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 627 PM CDT Tue May 5 2026

Cumulus clouds may clear this evening, or are expected to remain VFR throughout the night. Occasional lowering to MVFR is possible in the morning at INL. Tomorrow is expected to be similar to today, where MVFR to VFR cumulus develops in the afternoon with light scattered precipitation possible. VCSH and RA were kept out of the TAFs for now due to low chances of precipitation over the terminals and little to no impacts. Winds remain out of the northwest with gusts up to 20 kts are likely again tomorrow afternoon.

MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/

Issued at 237 PM CDT Tue May 5 2026

Western Lake Superior will see west to northwest winds of 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots through the early evening. Waves will generally be 1 to 3 feet. Winds and waves will subside tonight as the pressure gradient slowly relaxes. These west to northwest winds are expected to continue through Wednesday before backing into the southwest for Thursday, but speeds will generally be in the 10 to 15 knot range, with waves of 2 feet or less through Thursday.

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

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 237 PM CDT Tue May 5 2026

Breezy northwest winds gusting around 20 mph will persist through the rest of the afternoon. Cooler temperatures and cloud cover have limited drying today, so RH values have only dropped to between 30 and 35 percent for our driest areas across Northwest Wisconsin and the I-35 corridor. Tomorrow should be very similar to today, with cool temperatures, though it will be slightly drier and less breezy. Thursday and Friday warmer and drier conditions are expected to develop, and while winds winds will generally be 5 to 10 mph Thursday, they are expected to strengthen for Friday and we may experience near-critical fire weather conditions.

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

DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MN...None. WI...None. MARINE...None.