/Issued 4:53 PM CDT, Thursday, March 19, 2015/
Minnesota drought map as of March 17, 2015. Source, Climate Prediction Center.
Brown=Moderate drought
Yellow-Abnormally dry
Wisconsin drought map as of March 17, 2015. Source, Climate Prediction Center.
Brown=Moderate drought
Yellow=Abnormally dry
Drought expanding across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin
Source: Climate Prediction Center
As of March 17, 2015:
Minnesota:
88% of the state is in D1 Drought (Moderate Drought) This is up from just 5% one week ago.
*Population affected by drought: 4,909,788.
Wisconsin:
12% of the state is in D1 Drought (Moderate Drought) This is up from 0% last week.
*Population affected by drought: 360,300.
Snowfall report for March 19, 2015
Source: National Weather Service Duluth, Minnesota
5 NW of Duluth, MN (St. Louis County) 1.5″ — NWS total.
Alborn, MN (St. Louis County) 1.5″
Cloquet, MN (Carlton County) 1.5″
Two Harbors, MN (Lake County) 1.3″
Coleraine, MN (Itasca County) 1.2″
12 N of Grand Rapids, MN (Itasca County) 1.0″
Note: The 1.5″ of snow that fell at the Duluth National Weather Service Today, March 19th was the first time since March 3rd with a 1″ or greater calendar day snowfall total. Over 2 weeks ago.
Here’s Friday’s setup. Blue outlined area is where snow or a rain/snow mix is possible.
Early take on the Tuesday/Wednesday low track and where there could be accumulating snow (Blue outlined area on the map below) This one is still several days away and will probably see the storm track change a bit, as well as where the rain/snow line sets up so stay tuned.
Note: Right now it looks like will have an easterly flow coming off an Ontario high and down Lake Superior which could help in producing snow in most of the Northland since the airmass will probably be rather dry, so as precipitation approaches will see the temperature drop due to evaporative cooling…That combined with lowering thickness values would support frozen precipitation rather than liquid precipitation, again though this is subject to change in coming days.
7 day precipitation forecast valid through Thursday, March 26, 2015. Source, Weather Prediction Center. Not a lot of precipitation in the Northland but we should get some which is better than none!
Weather Summary for March 19, 2015
Location: Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin
A wintry start to the day in parts of the Northland as a band of wet snow which was heavy at times moved through with slushy accumulations of a coating to 1.5″. By This Afternoon the snow was long gone while skies stayed mostly cloudy to partly sunny. High temperatures were above average on this last official day of winter with highs in the 40s with 30s along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Winds were out of the south or southeast at 10 to 15 mph.
Short Term Forecast – Confidence: High.
Tonight (March 19)
A trough will move through the Northland Tonight and will also see a cold front settle into Northern Minnesota later Tonight. Partly to mostly cloudy skies will be found in our area with a chance for a few showers — Radar has been picking up on precipitation for the past few hours, but the air is very dry so the majority of this has not been reaching the ground, that should continue to be the case Tonight although I can’t rule out a passing shower in a few locations. Low temperatures will be in the 30s with winds turning to the west or southwest at 5 to 15 mph.
Friday and Friday Night (March 20)
A cold front will move southeast through the area on Friday while low pressure passes through the Upper Midwest Tomorrow and early Tomorrow Evening.
Will see some precipitation across the Northland Friday and Friday Evening. The Iron Range, Arrowhead, and Borderland region should see mainly snow although precipitation could begin as rain or a rain/snow mix — South of those areas the precipitation should mainly be in the form of rain with a chance that snow mixes in just before the precipitation comes to an end Friday Evening.
High temperatures on Friday will range from the 30s in far Northern Minnesota to the 40s and 50s elsewhere. Lows Friday Night will be in the teens and 20s. Winds Tomorrow will be out of the south, west, or north at 10 to 20 mph. Winds Tomorrow Night will be out of the north or northwest at 10 to 20 mph.
Extended Forecast – Confidence: Medium.
Saturday through Monday (March 21-23)
Saturday will be dry and cool as high pressure moves through the region. Highs will be in the 20s and 30s with lows in the teens and 20s.
A low pressure system is forecast to move east/southeast out of the Northern Plains on Sunday and Monday while high pressure builds into Central Canada. More times than not once a high sets up over Ontario at this time of year it tends to keep any precipitation to our west and south and this looks to be the case with that Sunday/Monday system as Western, Southern, and possibly Central Minnesota stand the greatest chance for some snow or rain while the Northland stays dry but things could change during the next day or two so stay tuned.
High temperatures on Sunday and Monday are forecast to be in the 30s to around 40 degrees with cooler temperatures near Lake Superior. Lows Sunday Night will be in the 20s and 30s.
Long Range Forecast – Confidence: Medium.
(March 24-29)
Low pressure moving east out of the Northern Plains could affect the Northland from late Tuesday into Wednesday with possible snow or rain. This system has the potential to produce a couple inches of wet slushy snow in parts of the area next Tuesday/Wednesday. Near to below average temperatures are expected from the 24th-29th.
5 DAY FORECAST FOR DULUTH AND SUPERIOR
.Tonight… Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 30 to 35. Wind south to southeast at 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest late.
.Friday… Partly to mostly cloudy. Light rain possible during the Afternoon. High 47 to 52. Wind west at 10 to 20 mph.
.Friday Night… Light rain possible early. Partly to mostly cloudy. Colder. Low 17 to 22. Wind north to northwest at 15 to 25 mph.
.Saturday… Mostly sunny. High 30 to 35.
.Saturday Night… Partly cloudy. Low 13 to 18.
.Sunday… Partly cloudy. High 30 to 35.
.Sunday Night… Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 20 to 25.
.Monday… Partly to mostly cloudy. High 35 to 40.
Normal temperatures for Friday
High: 36
Low: 19
Sunrise Friday: 7:12 AM CDT
Sunset Friday: 7:21 PM CDT
Tim
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