Latest Duluth Area Text Forecast Discussion product from NWS:
980
FXUS63 KDLH 291131
AFDDLH
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Duluth MN
531 AM CST Thu Jan 29 2026
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Light snow and flurries today with minimal accumulation.
- Cold air tonight may create wind chills down to 35 below.
- Widespread light snowfall on Sunday with up to a couple inches.
- Temperatures trend warmer this weekend into next week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 250 AM CST Thu Jan 29 2026
A weak weather system moving across the region today will bring
a round of flurries and very light snow, particularly for areas
north of Highway 210 and across northwest Wisconsin. If you see
any snow today, it will be very light, with accumulations
generally limited to a dusting or a few tenths of an inch on the
upper-end. As the system moves south this evening, winds will
shift to the north-northeast over the Big Lake, setting the
stage for lake effect snow along the South Shore. Most of the
South Shore can expect 1 to 2 inches of light snow through
Friday morning, though a heavier band could locally produce
slightly higher amounts in northeastern Douglas and northwestern
Bayfield counties if it intensifies more than expected.
The next two days will continue to be 10 to 20 degrees below
normal air temperatures. High pressure building in tonight will
cause temperatures to plummet across northern Minnesota, with
actual air temperatures ranging from 15 below to 25 below zero.
Combined with light winds, wind chill values will drop into the
25 to 35 below zero range. We are closely monitoring the need
for Cold Weather Advisories tonight, particularly for areas
north of US Highway 2 in far northern Minnesota. While Friday
will remain cold with single-digit highs, Saturday begins a slow
recovery with temperatures reaching the upper teens and lower
20s.
A clipper system will move across the region late Saturday
night into Sunday. This will provide a widespread period of
light snowfall across northeast Minnesota and northwest
Wisconsin. Snow will likely start in north-central Minnesota
after midnight Saturday and spread east through Sunday morning.
Current forecast call for a general 0.5 to 1.5 inches of
accumulation before the system exits Sunday evening.
Looking further ahead, we are finally seeing a break in the cold
spell. By early next week, a shift in the upper-level flow will
bring much more seasonal air into the Midwest. High
temperatures are forecast to climb into the 20s, and overnight
lows will moderate into the single digits to teens above zero.
Another weak system brings a 20 to 30 percent chance of light
snow around the Tuesday to Wednesday timeframe.
&&
.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/...
Issued at 531 AM CST Thu Jan 29 2026
A weak weather system is producing flurries and very light
snowfall across far northern Minnesota early this morning.
Periodic MVFR visibilities and ceilings are being observed.
Prevailing conditions though remain mostly VFR so opted for
mainly TEMPOs of those MVFR conditions at this time as the main
period of snow drops southeastward and tapers off from 18Z to
00Z. Guidance suggests a period of post-snowfall MVFR ceilings
that last under incoming high pressure before the drier airmass
scours out that sky cover this evening. VFR conditions outside
of the South Shore lake effect snowfall is expected after 00-03Z
this evening. Terminals along the South Shore can expect IFR
visibility and MVFR ceilings from that lake effect snowfall into
Friday daytime.
&&
.MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/...
Issued at 528 AM CST Thu Jan 29 2026
Another round of downsloping northerly winds is forecast for
tonight behind a passing weak disturbance. Small Craft
Advisories are in effect for Taconite Harbor northward tonight
into Friday morning for those hazards. Along the South Shore,
onshore northerly winds are expected to build wave heights
starting this evening. Wave heights up to 5 feet being forecast
into early Friday morning prompted those areas to have Small
Craft Advisories over the same time period. Northerly winds
around or under 20 knots Friday daytime slowly back to
southwesterly Saturday.
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 from 6 PM this evening to 10 AM CST
Friday for LSZ140-141-146-148-150.
&&
$$
DISCUSSION...NLy
AVIATION...NLy
MARINE...NLy
NWS DLH Office Area Forecast Discussion
