textproduct: Duluth

KEY MESSAGES

- Strong winds Friday with gusts in excess of 50 mph except gusting to 60 mph in the far North Shore.

- Snow Squalls may develop Friday afternoon along the International Border.

- Temperatures will rapidly warm into the 40s by Friday before falling off again Friday evening under flash freeze conditions. Afterwards look for a more gradual warm up heading into next week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 112 PM CST Thu Feb 26 2026

Very light snowfall may skirt the Minnesota Borderlands tonight ahead of an incoming cold frontal passage slated for Friday late morning to late afternoon. This cold frontal passage has moved up in time by a few hours in guidance trends over the last day. Winds will intensify rapidly by midday Friday. West winds will gust between 40 and 50 mph for northern Minnesota along and north of US Hwy 2 and Douglas and Bayfield counties into the evening hours. Wind Advisories were issued this afternoon for this part of the Northland covering Friday late morning to late evening hours. The strongest winds are expected along the North Shore Friday mid-afternoon to late evening when gusts to 60 mph gusts are forecast in southern Cook County. This magnitude of wind gusts may result in tree limbs being knocked down and cause sporadic power outages. A High Wind Warning is in effect for southern Cook County all of Friday afternoon and evening.

The threat of snow squalls has continued to move further northward over the last 24 hours. The chances of snow showers and embedded isolated snow squalls is largely limited to Friday afternoon and early evening right along the International Border. The deepest pool of low-level instability is progged in high res and global guidance to reside just over the Border into Ontario. A few diurnally-aided snow showers could still create a quick burst of localized heavy snowfall in Borderland places though Friday PM.

The timing of flash freeze potential concerns has also moved up in time by few hours compared to the forecast 24 hours ago. This also promotes an earlier onset of freezing temperatures now into the mid to late afternoon for areas of the Iron Range northward. By early Friday night, expect most areas that were in the 40s that afternoon to be observing temperatures in the low teens to upper single digits above zero.

While winds do decrease Midnight afterward Friday night, lingering gusts and that seasonably cold airmass creates forecast wind chills by Saturday early morning of 10 to 25 below zero. Even colder air temperatures are very likely Saturday night into Sunday morning. Expect Sunday morning low temperatures of 10 to 20 below zero along and north of US Hwy 2 and 5 to 10 below zero south of US Hwy 2.

A gradual warming trend returns next week under a quiet weather pattern through mid next week. There are hints of a possible southwesterly track system moving somewhere through the Midwest next Wednesday PM into Thursday.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1134 AM CST Thu Feb 26 2026

Last of the warm front snow showers exit northwest Wisconsin over the next couple of hours. Lingering MVFR sky cover in far northern Minnesota will persist though into the late afternoon hours and potentially early evening. Another few hour period of light snowfall is possible tonight for northern Minnesota with a PROB30 mow in place for the KINL TAF site. Ahead of an incoming cold front Friday midday to afternoon, a period of low level wind shear is expected late tonight into Friday morning before gusty westerly winds mix out from 15 to 18Z Fri.

MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/

Issued at 1146 AM CST Thu Feb 26 2026

Conditions hazardous to small craft begin to setup Friday morning under increasingly gusty southwesterly winds. Dangerous conditions develop Friday afternoon on Western Lake Superior. West winds will increase to Gale force for most nearshore waters. Storm Force gusts to 50 kt are likely from Taconite Harbor to Grand Portage. These conditions taper in coverage and magnitude late Friday night with ramp down Small Craft Advisories very likely being needed after the Warnings are let go late Friday. Northwest winds over the western waters last into Saturday daytime, but forecast around or less than 20 knots. Heavy freezing spray will rapidly accumulate on vessels Friday evening through Saturday morning as Arctic air arrives. Waves will build to 6 to 11 feet Friday PM.

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

DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MN...Wind Advisory from noon Friday to midnight CST Friday night for MNZ012-019-020-037. Wind Advisory from 9 AM to 6 PM CST Friday for MNZ010-011-018- 026. High Wind Warning from noon Friday to midnight CST Friday night for MNZ021. WI...Wind Advisory from noon Friday to midnight CST Friday night for WIZ001-002. MARINE...Storm Warning from noon Friday to midnight CST Friday night for LSZ140-141. Heavy Freezing Spray Warning from 6 PM Friday to 4 AM CST Saturday for LSZ140-141-150. Gale Warning from noon Friday to midnight CST Friday night for LSZ142>146-150.