textproduct: Duluth

KEY MESSAGES

- Lingering lake effect snow along the South Shore, particularly near Ashland and Iron counties, will diminish later tonight.

- Cold temperatures return tonight with lows dropping well below zero, though lighter winds will limit severe wind chills.

- A quick-moving weather system brings widespread light snow Saturday night into Sunday, likely resulting in slippery roads for the second half of the weekend.

- A warming trend begins Saturday, with high temperatures bounding into the 20s and possibly 30s heading into next week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 157 PM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

This afternoon temperatures have climbed above zero across the Northland with abundant sunshine breaking out as high pressure builds in from the west. Northerly winds continue to generate lake effect snow showers along the South Shore of Lake Superior. These snow bands are currently impacting areas from Ashland into Iron County, where an additional inch or so of fluff is possible before the activity tapers off and shifts east later tonight.

Heading into the overnight hours, the high pressure center moves overhead. This will cause winds to go calm for many inland locations. Combined with clear skies, this sets the stage for strong radiational cooling. Expect overnight lows to plummet into the teens and twenties below zero away from the lake. Fortunately, the lack of wind means we do not expect widespread wind chill values to reach advisory criteria, but it will still be cold for anyone outdoors for extended periods. The I-Falls area will flirt with -25F wind chills. Also wanted to mention that forecast guidance suggests some potential for fog which I normally would have discounted except that it occurred last night even in the negative teens.

Saturday marks a shift in our weather pattern. As the high moves off to our east, winds will turn to the southwest. This flow brings warmer air back into the region. Temperatures will warm into the upper teens to near 20 degrees by the afternoon under mostly sunny skies. Clouds will begin to increase from the west late in the day ahead of the next weather system.

Forecast guidance brings a clipper system in from the Canadian Plains late Saturday night into Sunday. Snow will likely begin in north-central Minnesota after midnight and spread eastward across the Arrowhead and northwest Wisconsin through Sunday morning. This does not look like a heavy snow event, but it will be widespread. Most locations can expect a fluffy 1 to 2 inches of accumulation. This timing suggests that Sunday morning travel could be slippery. The snow will taper off from west to east Sunday afternoon.

Looking ahead to next week, the arctic grip loosens significantly. We expect a stretch of temperatures closer to normal and even above normal with daily highs consistently in the 20s and perhaps reaching the freezing mark later in the week. There is a chance of another deep freeze depending on your model of choice from Friday and beyond - either way it appears a strong baroclinic zone will be in the area.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 528 PM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

Surface high pressure over the region with largely clear skies being observed on satellite. Some lingering diurnal clouds over the Arrowhead will eroded through this evening and the lake effect clouds look to move out of HYR for a brief period this evening. There is potential for some fog to develop later tonight but the signal looks less impressive then the lat set of TAFs. HYR may still see another go of MVFR ceilings from lake effect showers tomorrow morning as low level winds shift to out of the northeast

MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/

Issued at 157 PM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

Small Craft Advisories remain in effect for the North Shore zones from Taconite Harbor to Grand Portage through this evening. North winds in these areas may still gust up to 30 knots with waves lingering around 3 feet. Elsewhere, winds are diminishing. Conditions improve tonight as high pressure moves in. However, south-southwest winds ramp up quickly Saturday night ahead of the next system, with gusts of 25 to 30 knots likely returning to western Lake Superior, creating hazardous conditions for small vessels again heading into Sunday.

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

DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MN...None. WI...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 10 PM CST this evening for LSZ140- 141.