Issued at 3:57 PM CST, Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
…Another winter storm affects portions of the Northland, but snow amounts varied greatly… In the end, snow totals ended up higher than forecasted from Duluth (away from Lake Superior) north through the Iron Range and south to parts of Carlton county. Snow totals closer to Lake Superior were pretty much in line with what was forecasted…
Note: Snow continues to come down late This Afternoon, thus the totals represented below may not reflect the final numbers. Higher snow totals are in bold.
Breezy Point, MN (Crow Wing county) 3.0″
Saginaw, MN (St. Louis county) 9.0″
Cloquet, MN (Carlton county) 7.0″
Holyoke, MN (Carlton county) 7.6″
4 miles south of Bruno, MN (Pine county) 7.0″
5 miles north of Virginia, MN (St. Louis county) 7.0″
4 miles south of Sawyer, MN (Carlton county) 6.9″
Fort Ripley, MN (Crow Wing county) 5.5″
Nashwauk, MN (Itasca county) 5.3″
Wrenshall, MN (Carlton county) 5.0″
5 miles southeast of Grand Rapids, MN (Itasca county) 3.0″
Pine River, MN (Cass county) 3.0″
South Range, WI (Douglas county) 2.5″
3 miles north of Pine City, MN (Pine county) 2.5″
Littlefork, MN (Koochiching county) 2.4″
7 miles south of Bigfork, MN (Itasca county) 1.3″
Brule, WI (Douglas county) 1.0″
Sarona, WI (Washburn county) 0.5″
5 miles northwest of Duluth, MN (St. Louis county) 8.1″ thru 2:53 PM CST…NWS total.
Proctor, MN (St. Louis county) 9.5″
2 miles west of Duluth, MN (St. Louis county) 5.3″ measured in the Duluth Heights neighborhood
7 miles east-southeast of Superior, WI (Douglas county) 1.3″ thru 11:15 AM CST, measured near the mouth of the Amnicon River.
West Duluth, MN (St. Louis county) Around 2.0″
Peak wind gusts from Today…Source: NWS Duluth, Minnesota.
*Silver Bay, MN (Lake county) 49 mph non-thunderstorm wind gust at 12:40 PM CST.
*2 miles south of Duluth, MN (St. Louis county) 48 mph non-thunderstorm wind gust measured on the Blatnik Bridge at 10:37 AM CST.
*3 miles north of French River, MN (St. Louis county) 40 mph non-thunderstorm wind gust at 10:52 AM CST.
*Duluth, MN (St. Louis county) 46 mph non-thunderstorm wind gust at 10:54 AM CST.
*Knife River, MN (Lake county) 47 mph non-thunderstorm wind gust at 12:10 PM CST.
Forecast Discussion for Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin
Today’s Weather:
Strong low pressure of 994 mb was centered just northwest of Lake Superior as of 3 PM with cold air and gusty west/northwest winds of 15-30 mph occurring on the backside of this storm Today. Temperatures which were in the 20s and 30s at Midnight last night have fallen into the teens and 20s Today with wind chills of 10 below to 10 above zero. Some snow also fell Today with some bands of moderate to heavy snow affecting portions of Northeast/Eastern Minnesota and far Northwest Wisconsin due to some meso-scale processess in the form of gravity waves/standing waves near Lake Superior.
Today’s Upper Level Analysis:
500 mb trough covered the Plains with an upper level low lifting slowly northeast through the Upper Midwest per water vapor satellite imagery and RUC model analysis. 110 knot mid level jet and a 140+ knot upper level jet were found ahead of this storm from Louisana to Michigan late This Afternoon per RUC model analysis.
…Winter Weather Headline information…Source: NWS Duluth, Minnesota.
*WINTER STORM WARNING* until 9 PM CST Tonight for Northern Cook…Northern Lake…St. Louis…Carlton…Koochiching…and Itasca counties Minnesota and for Douglas county Wisconsin.
*WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY* until 9 PM CST Tonight for Southern Cook and Southern Lake counties Minnesota.
*WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY* until 6 PM CST Tonight for Cass…Crow Wing…Aitkin…and Pine counties Minnesota and for Bayfield…Burnett…Washburn…and Sawyer counties Wisconsin.
Note: Snowfall storm totals will vary greatly and range from 1-3″ near Lake Superior in Northeast Minnesota with 4-10″ totals with isolated 10-12″ amounts for most other areas in Northern/Eastern Minnesota. Snow totals in Northwest Wisconsin will range from 1-3″ with higher totals along the South Shore due to possible lake effect snow through Tomorrow Night.
Tonight:
Deep low pressure of around 990 mb will reach Northern Ontario Province by dawn. Mostly cloudy skies will linger behind this low Tonight with areas of snow showers and flurries, additional snow accumulations should be an inch or less. Lows will be in the single digits and teens with northwest or west winds at 10-20 mph with higher gusts. Wind chills will range from around 5 above to 15 below Tonight while the gusty winds lead to areas of blowing and drifting snow. Note: Several of the HRRR model runs from Today have shown another localized moderate-heavy band of snow forming over Western Lake Superior Overnight while shifting southwest into Northwest Wisconsin after 1 AM. Bayfield and Douglas counties Wisconsin as well as Northeast Pine/Eastern Carlton counties in Minnesota could be impacted by this band of heavier snow late Tonight…A quick 1-3″ of accumulation is possible if this band develops. Based on model projections, it appears that this area of snow will remain south/east of Duluth/Superior, but it could be a close call.
Wednesday and Wednesday Night:
Low pressure reaches Hudson Bay/Northeastern Canada during this period. Partly sunny to mostly cloudy skies with some more snow showers and flurries are expected in Northern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin Tomorrow with 1-3″ of accumulation possible, mainly along the South Shore of Lake Superior. Looks dry Tomorrow Night, but a few snow showers could continue in the snowbelts of Northwest Wisconsin. Highs Tomorrow will be in the teens and lower 20s with lows Tomorrow Night in the single digits below to above zero. Winds will be out of the northwest at 10-25 mph on Wednesday and under 20 mph Wednesday Night.
Extended Forecast:
Dry weather is expected for Thursday and Friday with high temperatures generally in the teens both days with lows Thursday Night and Friday Night in the single digits below to single digits above zero. The forecast for this weekend is up in the air at the moment…Low pressure is expected to pass west/south of our local area with some snow associated with this system possibly affecting portions of our local area depending on the track this low takes. Also, there have been some indications for an inverted trough and a wind shift to the E/NE near Lake Superior this weekend and that combined with cold air in place may result in some lake effect snowfall for the North and South Shore.
5 Day Forecast for Duluth/Superior
*WINTER STORM WARNING*
Timing: Until 9 PM CST Tonight.
.Tonight… Breezy with areas of blowing snow. Occasional snow showers and flurries under mostly cloudy skies. New snow accumulations of 1-2″ possible. Storm totals of 9-11″ away from Lake Superior and 1-3″ closer to Lake Superior. Low 10 to 15. Wind northwest to west at 15 to 30 mph. Lowest wind chills around 10 below zero.
.Wednesday… Breezy with snow showers or flurries at times, otherwise considerable cloudiness. High 15 to 20. Wind northwest at 15 to 25 mph. Lowest wind chills from zero to 10 below.
.Wednesday Night… Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 5 to 10. Wind northwest at 10 to 15 mph.
.Thursday… Partly cloudy. High 15 to 20.
.Thursday Night… Partly cloudy. Low zero to 5 below.
.Friday… Partly cloudy. High 15 to 20.
.Friday Night… Partly to mostly cloudy. Flurries possible. Low 5 to 10.
.Saturday… Partly sunny. Snow showers or flurries possible. High 20 to 25.
Normal temperatures for Today:
High: 28 degrees
Low: 13 degrees
Tim