Monthly Archives: December 2014

/Issued 3:44 PM CST, Wednesday, December 31, 2014

A coating of snow is possible late Tonight into Thursday Morning across parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin with snow totals generally around 1″ or less but there could be a narrow stripe of up to 2″ of snow by Thursday Morning especially for areas west and south of Duluth and Superior.  The image below is from the SREF model 15z run showing projected snow totals through Thursday Morning.  Source, COD website.

Note:  On Tuesday I looked at the month by month temperature average and their departure from normal for 2014.  Today it’s all about the precipitation and snowfall totals for Duluth, Minnesota – Airport location.

Precipitation totals:

January:  0.73″; -0.23″ below normal
February:  2.12″; +1.31″ above normal
March:  1.91″; +0.43″ above normal
April:  3.30″; +0.87″ above normal
May:  4.37″; +1.14″ above normal
June:  4.47″; +0.24″ above normal
July:  3.42″; -0.43″ below normal
August:  4.63″; +0.93″ above normal
September:  1.64″; -2.47″ below normal
October:  1.80″; -1.05″ below normal
November:  0.98″; -1.11″ below normal
December:  1.26″; +0.05″ above normal

Snowfall totals:

January:  9.4″; -10.0″ below normal
February:  29.5″; +17.1″ above normal
March:  20.9″; +7.7″ above normal
April:  26.3″; +19.4″ above normal
May:  Trace; -0.4″ below normal
September:  0.0″; -0.1″ below normal
October:  0.1″; -2.2″ below normal
November:  16.4″; +2.7″ above normal
December:  8.6″; -9.1″ below normal

2014 precipitation total:  30.63″
Departure:  -0.33″ below normal

2013 precipitation total:  30.48″
Departure:  -0.48″ below normal

2014 thunderstorm total:  27 days
2013 thunderstorm total:  23 days

Weather Summary for December 31, 2014
Location:  Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

The big weather story on this final day of 2014 were the strong winds.  Low pressure averaging 996mb over northern Ontario and high pressure of 1036mb over the central Plains led to the gusty west winds that we saw in the Northland Today.  Wind speeds were in the 10-20 mph range but gusts topped 30 mph in many locations.  High temperatures were in the teens but with the strong winds that we had Today it felt quite a bit colder.  Sky conditions varied between partly sunny and mostly sunny and there have been a few snow flurries in a few spots.

Forecast Discussion for Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

Short Term Forecast – Confidence:  Medium to High.

Tonight (December 31)

Will see a cold front approach far northern Minnesota Overnight.  Partly to mostly cloudy skies will be found in our area with light snow and flurries possible late in portions of north central Minnesota.  Low temperatures will be in the single digits and teens with west or southwest winds at 10 to 20 mph.

Thursday and Thursday Night (January 1)

A cold front will drop south and out of the Northland by mid Afternoon Thursday.  Expect some snow across parts of the Northland especially before Noon Tomorrow.  High pressure building in behind the cold front results in mainly dry weather from Thursday Afternoon-Thursday Night.

Back to the snow potential Tomorrow Morning:  Not expecting a lot of snow, but with SLR’s in the 15:1 to 25:1 range thanks to the chilly airmass in place, we could see a stripe of about 1-2″ of fluffy snow in parts of north central and east central Minnesota through northern Wisconsin.

High temperatures on Thursday will be in the teens and 20s with lows Thursday Night in the single digits and teens below to single digits above zero.  Winds will shift to the northwest during this period at 10 to 20 mph.

Extended Forecast – Confidence:  Medium.

Friday through Sunday (January 2-4)

An area of high pressure will pass through the Upper Midwest on Friday resulting in mainly dry/quiet weather conditions.

Low pressure dropping east-southeast out of western Canada will likely impact our weather from Friday Night through Saturday Night.

Should see some snow across the entire Northland with the potential for a significant amount of snow generally for areas north of Highway 2 — including over the Iron Range, Borderland, and Arrowhead of Minnesota.

Snow should be decreasing from west to east by late Saturday Night with generally dry conditions returning by Sunday as a new round of arctic air pours into the Northland.

High temperatures on Friday and Saturday are expected to be in the teens and 20s with lows Friday Night in the single digits and teens; lows Saturday Night will range from the teens and 20s below zero in northern Minnesota to the single digits in northwest Wisconsin.  Highs on Sunday will only be in the single digits and teens below to single digits above zero.

The area outlined in blue on this map has the best chance at seeing more than 4″ of snow from Friday Night into Saturday.  I’m thinking will see around 1-3″ of snow in the Twin Ports.  Of course this is subject to change in coming days so stay tuned.

Long Range Forecast – Confidence:  High.

(January 5-10)

Below average temperatures from the 5th-7th; temperatures returning to more seasonable levels from the 8th-10th.  Looks mainly dry until around the 9th-10th when a minor snow event could occur.

5 DAY FORECAST FOR DULUTH AND SUPERIOR

.Tonight…  Mostly clear This Evening.  Becoming mostly cloudy late.  Light snow or flurries possible Overnight.  Low 3 to 8.  Wind southwest at 10 to 20 mph.

.New Year’s Day…  Light snow and flurries possible during the Morning.  Total snowfall accumulations of around 1″ possible.  Mostly cloudy with some Afternoon sunshine.  High 15 to 20.  Wind west to northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

.Thursday Night…  Partly cloudy.  Low 2 below to 7 below.

.Friday…  Partly to mostly cloudy.  High 11 to 16.

.Friday Night…  Mostly cloudy.  Light snow or flurries possible.  Low 5 to 10.

.Saturday…  Light snow or flurries possible.  High 20 to 25.

.Saturday Night…  Light snow or flurries possible.  Low 10 below to 15 below.  Total snowfall accumulations of 1-3″ possible from Friday Night through Saturday Night.

.Sunday…  Bitterly cold.  Partly cloudy.  High 0 to 5 below.

Normal temperatures for Thursday

High:  19
Low:    3

Sunrise Thursday:  7:53 AM CST
Sunset Thursday:   4:31 PM CST

Tim

/Issued 3:57 PM CST, Tuesday, December 30, 2014/

NWS hazards map:  Wind chill advisory for the entire area shaded in light blue on the map below.  More information at this link:  http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=dlh&wwa=wind%20chill%20advisory

2014 month by month temperature average and their departure from normal for Duluth, Minnesota – Airport location.

January:  1.6 degrees; -8.6 degrees below normal
February:  5.3 degrees; -9.8 degrees below normal

March:  18.4 degrees; -7.5 degrees below normal
April:  35.1 degrees; -4.5 degrees below normal
May:  51.9 degrees; +0.5 degrees above normal

June:  60.3 degrees; +0.2 degrees above normal
July:  66.3 degrees; +0.5 degrees above normal
August:  64.7 degrees; +0.4 degrees above normal

September:  57.4 degrees; +1.8 degrees above normal
October:  44.8 degrees; +1.6 degrees above normal
November:  21.8 degrees; -7.0 degrees below normal

December:  23.1 degrees; +8.1 degrees above normal.  Note:  December data is thru the 29th, but we will finish above average for the entire month.

*5 months this year with an above average monthly temperature and 7 months with an below average monthly temperature.

*January, February, March, April, and November all featured significant monthly temperature departures.

*The months of May, June, July, and August ran pretty close to average in terms of temperatures.

*Had a bit of an uptick in terms of warmth during the months of September and October before the bottom dropped out in November, but the year ended with major/prolong warmth during the month of December.

Note:  I’ll take a look at month by month precipitation and snowfall totals for 2014 in Wednesday’s blog.

Low temperature report for December 30, 2014
Source:  National Weather Service Duluth, Minnesota

2 SSW of Fifield, WI:  -25F
Phillips, WI:  -25F
Hayward, WI:  -19F
Glidden, WI:  -17F
Grand Marais, MN:  -17F
Ely, MN:  -15F
Embarrass, MN:  -14F
Bigfork, MN:  -13F
Eveleth, MN:  -13F
Island Lake, MN:  -13F
Walker, MN:  -13F
Cook, MN:  -13F
Siren, WI:  -13F
Orr, MN:  -13F
Duluth, MN (NWS)  -12F
Northome, MN:  -12F
Cass Lake, MN:  -11F
Crane Lake, MN:  -11F
Littlefork, MN:  -11F
Togo, MN:  -10F

Weather Summary for December 30, 2014
Location:  Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

A ridge of arctic high pressure averaging 1046-1048mb covered the northern Rockies and northern Plains Today.  A few patches of mid/high level clouds over the Northland Today but overall skies were mostly sunny.  Bitterly cold temperatures continued Today with highs in the single digits below to single digits above zero.  Winds were out of the west or northwest at 5 to around 20 mph.

Forecast Discussion for Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

Short Term Forecast – Confidence:  High.

Tonight through Wednesday Night (December 30-31)

High pressure settles into the central and southern Plains during this period while a trough passes through the area on Wednesday.  Partly to at times mostly cloudy skies can be expected through Tomorrow Night.  Could see a few flurries Tomorrow in northern Minnesota but the majority of us will remain dry during the next 24 hours.

Low temperatures Tonight will be in the single digits and teens below zero.  Temperatures on New Year’s Eve will be in the single digits and teens.  Winds during this period will be out of the west or southwest at 10 to 20 mph with higher gusts possible.

Extended Forecast – Confidence:  Medium.

Thursday through Saturday (January 1-3)

A cold front is forecast to move through the Northland on New Year’s Day with a few snow showers and flurries possible as this front moves through.  Dry weather is expected Thursday Night and Friday.  

The period from Friday Night into Saturday could feature a light to possibly moderate snowfall event in some parts of the area but computer models disagree on the track of a clipper like system.  Note:  The bulk of the snow looks like it will fall along and north of the low pressure track — so with the models differing on the storm track it’s no surprise that they disagree on the placement of the main snow band.  Some models place it over the Twin Ports and basically over the entire Northland, others keep it further north.  Not sure which solution is correct since it’s a few days away so stay tuned.

There will also be another system tied up over the southern Plains this weekend, but this one should stay well southeast of the Northland with no real phasing expected between this low and the one near/over our area.

High temperatures on Thursday and Friday are expected to be in the single digits and teens with lows Thursday Night in the single digits below to single digits above zero.  Lows Friday Night will be in the single digits and teens.  Highs on Saturday are forecast to be in the teens and 20s.

Long Range Forecast – Confidence:  High.

(January 4-9)

Below average temperatures from the 4th-7th; near normal temperatures possible on the 8th-9th.  No major storms are expected from the 4th-9th, but we could see a minor snow event every now and then.

5 DAY FORECAST FOR DULUTH AND SUPERIOR

Event:  *WIND CHILL ADVISORY*
Timing:  6 PM This Evening until 6 AM CST Wednesday.

.Tonight…  Frigid.  Clear to partly cloudy.  Low 5 below to 10 below.  Wind west at 10 to 20 mph.  Wind chills 20 below to 30 below.

.New Year’s Eve…  Partly to mostly sunny.  Breezy.  High 8 to 13.  Wind southwest at 15 to 25 mph.  Wind chills 20 below to 30 below during the Morning.

.Wednesday Night…  Partly cloudy.  Low 3 to 8.  Wind southwest at 10 to 15 mph.

.New Year’s Day…  Snow showers or flurries possible.  Mostly cloudy.  High 13 to 18.

.Thursday Night…  Partly cloudy.  Low 0 to 5 below.

.Friday…  Partly cloudy.  High 11 to 16.

.Friday Night…  Becoming mostly cloudy.  Light snow or flurries possible late.  Low 5 to 10.

.Saturday…  Mostly cloudy.  Light snow or flurries possible.  High 15 to 20.

Normal temperatures for Wednesday

High:  19
Low:     3

Sunrise Wednesday:  7:53 AM CST
Sunset Wednesday:   4:30 PM CST

Tim

/Issued 3:01 PM CST, Monday, December 29, 2014/

Incredible!  Checkout these temperature departures from last week — see image below.  Much of the Northland was +15 to nearly +20 degrees warmer than normal last week.  Source, Midwest Regional Climate Center.

Note:  The thaws that we have seen so far this winter have been very significant.  Remember going into this winter I thought we’d see some pretty harsh cold snaps which we did have back in November and the first day or two of December, and now as we close out the month of December, but I also thought we would have quite a few thaws this winter which is something we didn’t see last winter.  I expect more of the same going forward, meaning bouts of extreme cold, but also some good warming mixed in.  The one thing that has surprised me is the lack of snow in the Twin Ports.  Unfortunately I don’t see things changing too much anytime soon, sorry snow lovers.

NWS hazards map.

Blue=Wind Chill Advisory.  More information at this link:  http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=dlh&wwa=wind%20chill%20advisory

Snow drought in Duluth!

For the month of December and for the winter of 2014-15 (thru the 29th) 8.6″ of snow which is -7.8″ below average.

Note:  Last year thru December 29, 39.9″of snow.  +31″ more snow in 2013 compared to 2014 thru 29DEC.

The annual snowfall total sits at 25.1″ which is -7.4″ below average.  Last year thru December 29, 44.9″ of snow.  +19″ more snow in 2013 compared to 2014 thru 29DEC.

Temperature and precipitation report for Duluth, Minnesota – Airport location

December 21-27, 2014

High temperatures:

12/21:  34F/13 degrees above normal
12/22:  35F/15 degrees above normal
12/23:  35F/15 degrees above normal
12/24:  34F/14 degrees above normal
12/25:  32F/12 degrees above normal
12/26:  30F/10 degrees above normal
12/27:  24F/4 degrees above normal

Low temperatures:

12/21:  29F/24 degrees above normal
12/22:  33F/28 degrees above normal
12/23:  33F/28 degrees above normal
12/24:  31F/27 degrees above normal
12/25:  30F/26 degrees above normal
12/26:  24F/20 degrees above normal
12/27:  15F/11 degrees above normal

Total precipitation:  0.36″
Normal:  0.26″
Departure:  +0.10″

Last week’s precipitation departure map.  Source, Midwest Regional Climate Center.

Low temperature report for December 29, 2014
Source:  National Weather Service Duluth, Minnesota

5 E of Sea Gull Lake, MN:  -23F
Embarrass, MN:  -19F
Ely, MN:  -18F
International Falls, MN:  -18F
Crane Lake, MN:  -17F
Littlefork, MN:  -17F
Orr, MN:  -17F
Cook, MN:  -17F
Phillips, WI:  -17F
Togo, MN:  -16F
1 NNE of Hermantown, MN:  -16F
Bigfork, MN:  -15F
Glidden, WI:  -14F
Hayward, WI:  -13F
Northome, MN:  -13F
Grand Rapids, MN:  -11F
Duluth, MN (Airport)  -10F
Walker, MN:  -10F
Cloquet, MN:  -9F
Siren, WI:  -9F
Two Harbors, MN:  -8F
Brainerd, MN:  -5F
Superior, WI:  -4F
Grand Marais, MN:  -4F
Sky Harbor, MN:  -2F

Weather Summary for December 29, 2014
Location:  Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

A massive 1052+mb high pressure system continues to build southeast out of Alberta Today.  Very cold temperatures across the Northland Today – something we haven’t seen in around 4 weeks time.  Highs were in the single digits below to single digits above zero with northwest winds at 5 to 15 mph.  Note:  The one good thing about all this cold/dry air is that were finally seeing a good amount of sun.

Forecast Discussion for Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

Short Term Forecast – Confidence:  High.

Tonight through Tuesday Night (December 29-30)

Arctic high pressure will move into the northern and central Plains this period.  Expect clear-partly cloudy skies in our area with bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills.  Low temperatures Tonight and Tuesday Night will be in the single digits, teens, and 20s below zero with highs on Tuesday in the single digits below to single digits above zero.

Winds through Tomorrow will be from the northwest at 10 to 20 mph.  Winds Tomorrow Night will shift to the west or southwest at 10 to 20 mph.  Note:  Wind chill temperatures Tonight and Tuesday Morning will range from 25 below to 35 below in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin

Extended Forecast – Confidence:  High.

Wednesday through Friday (December 31-January 2)

Temperatures will warm up a bit from mid to late week with a possibility for a minor snow event sometime Thursday or Friday, but the key word here is minor.  High temperatures will be in the single digits and teens from Wednesday through Friday with lows Wednesday Night and Thursday Night in the single digits below to single digits above zero.

Long Range Forecast – Confidence:  Medium.

(January 3-8)

Below average to near average temperatures are expected from the 3rd-8th.  No big storms showing up, but we could see the occasional minor snow event every now and then.

5 DAY FORECAST FOR DULUTH AND SUPERIOR

Event:  *WIND CHILL ADVISORY*
Timing:  Midnight Tonight until Noon CST Tuesday.

.Tonight…  Frigid.  Mostly clear.  Low 8 below to 13 below.  Wind northwest at 10 to 20 mph.  Wind chills 25 below to 35 below.

.Tuesday…  Frigid.  Sunshine.  High 3 below to 2 above.  Wind west to northwest at 10 to 20 mph.  Wind chills 25 below to 35 below.

.Tuesday Night…  Partly cloudy.  Low 5 below to 10 below.  Wind west to southwest at 10 to 20 mph.

.New Year’s Eve…  Partly to mostly sunny.  High 8 to 13.

.Wednesday Night…  Partly to mostly cloudy.  Low 3 to 8.

.New Year’s Day…  Mostly cloudy.  High 10 to 15.

.Thursday Night…  Partly to mostly cloudy.  Low 0 to 5.

.Friday…  Partly to mostly cloudy.  High 11 to 16.

Normal temperatures for Tuesday

High:  19
Low:    3

Sunrise Tuesday:  7:53 AM CST
Sunset Tuesday:   4:29 PM CST

Tim

/Issued 7:42 PM CST, Saturday, December 27, 2014/

Here comes the cold! A pattern change is here.  Gone will be the unseasonably warm temperatures, clouds, fog, rain, and slop; in it’s place will be lots of sunshine, extremely dry air, incredibly high pressure readings, and bitterly cold temperatures…Kind of similar to what we saw back in November.  This pattern will be a good one to build ice on area lakes, but not a favorable pattern for snow.

The image below is This Evening’s 500mb map per MeteoCentre.com.  The deep blues and purple colors on the map indicates arctic air and there is nothing to prevent it from spreading south/east into the U.S. in coming days.

Snowfall map from last night’s event.  Source, Midwest Regional Climate Center.

Snowfall report for December 26-27, 2014
Source:  National Weather Service Duluth, Minnesota

1 SE of Phillips, WI (Price County)  6.8″
2 NW of Stone Lake, WI (Washburn County)  6.1″
Park Falls, WI (Price County)  6.0″
Shell Lake, WI (Washburn County)  5.8″
5 SW of Butternut, WI (Price County)  5.3″
Trego, WI (Washburn County)  4.5″
Hayward, WI (Sawyer County)  4.5″

1 WSW of Saxon, WI (Iron County)  4.4″
4 W of Clam Lake, WI (Bayfield County)  4.3″
Mellen, WI (Ashland County)  4.0″
10 WNW of Spooner, WI (Burnett County)  3.9″
Hurley, WI (Iron County)  3.5″
Ashland, WI (Ashland County)  2.4″
Solon Springs, WI (Douglas County)  0.9″

Weather Summary for December 27, 2014
Location:  Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

Low pressure of 1002mb was along the Ontario-Quebec border early This Evening with arctic high pressure of 1024mb building S-SE out of western Manitoba.  Temperatures Today were close to where they should be for late December — meaning that highs were in the teens and 20s in the Northland.  Snow earlier in the day in parts of northwest Wisconsin diminished by the Afternoon with skies turning partially sunny; elsewhere skies were mostly sunny to partly sunny.  Winds Today were out of the north or northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

Forecast Discussion for Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

Short Term Forecast – Confidence:  High.

Tonight through Sunday Night (December 27-28)

A cold front will pass through the Northland Tonight with a few flurries possible, otherwise this period looks generally dry.  Partly cloudy skies are expected although for Tonight skies could go mostly cloudy at times.  The bigger weather story will be the colder temperatures as pressures continue to rise as a mammoth 1055+mb high pressure system builds southeast out of northwestern Canada.  Low temperatures Tonight will range from the single digits below to teens above zero.  Highs on Sunday will be in the single digits and teens with lows Sunday Night in the single digits below to around 10 above.  Winds will generally be out of the northwest or north through Tomorrow Night at 10 to 20 mph.

Extended Forecast – Confidence:  High.

Monday through Wednesday (December 29-31)

Cold!  Arctic high pressure of 1050+mb moves across the Rockies and Plains through this period.  Looks mainly dry in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin from Monday-Wednesday with high temperatures in the single digits below to around 10 above zero on Monday and Tuesday with highs on Wednesday mainly in the teens.  Lows Monday Night and Tuesday Night will be in the single digits and teens below to single digits above zero with some spots up in northern Minnesota possibly falling into the 20s below.

Note:  With the colder temperatures and winds turning to the northwest in coming days, there will be a chance for some lake effect snow along the South Shore of Lake Superior in northwest Wisconsin — Iron and Ashland counties are at greatest risk for seeing some lake effect snow at times from Sunday through Tuesday but accumulations are expected to be on the light side.

Long Range Forecast – Confidence:  Medium.

(January 1-6)

Near to below average temperatures are expected on the 1st-2nd with below average temperatures possible from the 3rd-6th.  Could be a minor snowfall event sometime between the 2nd-4th, but no major snow events are expected from the 1st-6th.

5 DAY FORECAST FOR DULUTH AND SUPERIOR

.Tonight…  Partly to mostly cloudy.  A few flurries possible.  Low 6 to 11.  Wind west at 10 to 15 mph becoming north to northwest late.

.Sunday…  Partly cloudy.  High 15 to 20 with near steady or slowly falling temperatures.  Wind northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

.Sunday Night…  Mostly clear.  Low 2 below to 3 above.  Wind northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

.Monday…  Mostly sunny.  High 5 to 10.

.Monday Night…  Partly cloudy.  Low 5 below to 10 below.

.Tuesday…  Partly cloudy.  High 2 to 7.

.Tuesday Night…  Mostly clear.  Low 5 below to 10 below.

.New Year’s Eve…  Partly cloudy.  High 8 to 13.

Normal temperatures for Sunday

High:  20
Low:    3

Sunrise Sunday:  7:53 AM CST
Sunset Sunday:   4:27 PM CST

Tim

/Issued 3:23 PM CST, Friday, December 26, 2014/

A nice temperature contrast from NW-SE late This Afternoon — this will help develop a storm system which moves rapidly to the northeast Tonight and on Saturday.  Several inches of snow will fall south/east of the Twin Ports late Tonight through Saturday.  Source, water vapor satellite image (3:30 PM Today) cod website.

A widespread swath of 2-6″ snow totals are possible Tonight and Saturday from central Nebraska through south central Minnesota, north central Wisconsin and Upper Michigan (Purple colors on the map)  Source, 12z WRF-NMM model; tropicaltidbits.com

Snow depth report as of 6 AM CST December 26, 2014
Source:  National Weather Service Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth, MN:  5″
International Falls, MN:  4″
12 N of Isle, MN:  1″
3 E of Wright, MN:  1″
12 N of Grand Rapids, MN:  1″
Togo, MN:  2″
Cook, MN:  3″
Embarrass, MN:  3″
4 E of Island Lake, MN:  6″
Kabetogama, MN:  3″
3 S of Ashland, WI:  2″
4 W of Clam Lake, WI:  7″
Solon Springs, WI:  2″

Minnesota snow depth map as of December 24, 2014.  Not looking that good except in the Arrowhead where snow depth is in the 8-12″ range.  Should add some snow in southern areas of Minnesota with Tonight’s event.  Source, MNDNR.

Weather Summary for December 26, 2014
Location:  Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

A cold front extends generally in a SW-NE direction This Afternoon from central Oklahoma to northeast Wisconsin with high pressure averaging 1026mb covering central-western Canada.  Mostly cloudy skies prevailed across the area Today with some light snow and flurries.  Snow accumulations were generally around 1″ or less with most spots only seeing a very light dusting.  Highs Today were in the 20s and 30s with the coolest readings across northern Minnesota.  Winds were out of the north or northwest at 5 to 15 mph.

Forecast Discussion for Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin

Short Term Forecast – Confidence:  High.

Tonight (December 26)

A low pressure wave will lift northeast out of the central Plains and will move into southern Wisconsin by daybreak.  This system will bring some snow to parts of northwest Wisconsin Tonight with nothing more than a few flurries in northern Minnesota.  Low temperatures will be in the teens and 20s with single digits possible in far northern Minnesota.  North or northwest winds will be common Tonight at 5 to 15 mph.

Area shaded in purple on this map is under a winter weather advisory.  More information at this link:  http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=dlh&wwa=winter%20weather%20advisory

Source:  NWS hazards map

Saturday and Saturday Night (December 27)

Low pressure moves from southern Wisconsin to eastern Canada this period while a cold front sags south/southeast into the Northland.  Snow will continue through about early or mid Afternoon Saturday in parts of northwest Wisconsin while the remainder of the Northland remains generally dry.

A few flurries or snow showers are possible Saturday Night as a cold front approaches from the northwest.

High temperatures Tomorrow will be in the teens and 20s with lows Tomorrow Night ranging from the single digits below to single digits above zero in northern Minnesota with teens and lower 20s in northwest Wisconsin.

Winds Tomorrow will be out of the north or northwest at 10 to 20 mph.  Winds Tomorrow Night will be out of the west at 5 to 15 mph.

Extended Forecast – Confidence:  High.

Sunday through Tuesday (December 28-30)

A few flurries or snow showers are possible on Sunday otherwise this period will generally be dry and also much colder as arctic high pressure spreads east out of the northern/central Rockies.  

Highs on Sunday will range from the single digits to the lower 20s; highs on Monday and Tuesday will range from the single digits below zero to teens above zero.  

Lows Sunday Night will be in the single digits below to teens above zero.  Lows Monday Night will be in the teens below to single digits above zero.

Long Range Forecast – Confidence:  High.

(December 31-January 5)

Below average temperatures are expected through this period.  A minor snow event is possible sometime between the 1st-3rd but there are no significant snow events on the horizon for the Northland.

5 DAY FORECAST FOR DULUTH AND SUPERIOR

.Tonight…  Considerable cloudiness.  Low 17 to 22.  Wind north to northwest at 10 to 15 mph.

.Saturday…  Partly to mostly cloudy.  High 22 to 25.  Wind north to northwest at 10 to 20 mph.

.Saturday Night…  Mostly cloudy.  Low 6 to 11.  Wind 5 to 10.  Wind west at 10 to 15 mph.

.Sunday…  Partly to mostly cloudy.  Flurries possible.  High 15 to 20.

.Sunday Night…  Partly cloudy.  Low 0 to 5.

.Monday…  Partly cloudy.  High 5 to 10.

.Monday Night…  Mostly clear.  Low 5 below to 10 below.

.Tuesday…  Partly cloudy.  High 2 to 7.

Normal temperatures for Today

High:  20
Low:    4

Sunrise Saturday:  7:53 AM CST
Sunset Saturday:   4:27 PM CST

Tim