Source: https://weather.cod.edu
21z RAP model 2-15-19
Source: https://www.pivotalweather.com/
This weekend’s snow event will stay well to the south of the Northland with a swath of accumulating snow likely from parts of the Dakotas to southwest Minnesota to Iowa.
Source: https://weathermodels.com
18z NAM-WRF model 2-15-19
Heads up if you have travel plans to the Dakotas or southern Minnesota this weekend as snow is on the way for those areas.
Link to road conditions
Minnesota — https://lb.511mn.org//mnlb/winterdriving/routeselect.jsf
Wisconsin — https://511wi.gov/map
Source: https://www.tropicaltidbits.com
12z European computer model (ECMWF) 2-15-19
Blue colors=Troughs
Red colors=Ridges
Still seeing signs of a more active weather pattern beginning around the middle of next week. Long range models have been hinting at this for a while now, but storm tracks, timing and intensity are far from certain this far out, but the weather pattern could turn a little stormier once again across parts of the Northland later next week and beyond.
Source: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us
Source: https://weather.cod.edu
Goes-16 visible satellite loop from Friday, February 15, 2019.
Still enough open water over Lake Superior to generate lake effect snow today across parts of upper Michigan.
Per satellite imagery, the thickest ice is over southwestern Lake Superior and around the Isle Royale area.
Note: Ice doesn’t move on the loop below while clouds move.
Weather Tidbits for Duluth, Minnesota
•28.5 inches of snow so far this month — February 2019 currently ranks as 6th snowiest February on record in station history. The record snowiest February occurred in 1939 with 33.9 inches of snow.
Northland Snow Depth Report as of Friday morning, February 15, 2019
Source: https://www.weather.gov/dlh/
Kabetogama, MN: 40 inch
Wolfridge, MN (ELC) 38 inch
Babbitt, MN: 32 inch
25 E Ely, MN: 30 inch
Embarrass, MN: 29 inch
Northome, MN: 28 inch
Cass Lake, MN: 26 inch
4 W Clam Lake, WI: 26 inch
Duluth Airport: 24 inch
Ely, MN: 24 inch
Grand Portage, MN: 23 inch
Winter, WI: 23 inch
International Falls, MN: 22 inch
3 E Wright, MN: 20 inch
Gordon, WI: 17 inch
Peak Winds from around the Northland from Thursday night-Friday morning (Feb 14-15)
Source: https://www.weather.gov/dlh/
Blatnik Bridge: 60 mph
1 E Duluth, MN: 59 mph
Bay of Grand Marais: 56 mph
Two Harbors, MN: 39 mph
2 ENE Duluth, MN: 39 mph
Devils Island: 37 mph
Chisholm-Hibbing Airport: 36 mph
Duluth Airport: 36 mph
Bayfield, WI: 35 mph
Ely, MN: 32 mph
Ashland, WI: 32 mph
Superior Airport: 32 mph
Silver Bay, MN: 32 mph
Grand Marais Airport: 31 mph
Weather Synopsis for Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin
A cool mid-February day with highs ranging from the lower teens to lower 20s. Skies were mainly sunny today, speaking of the sun, it is getting stronger now as we move closer to spring which does make it feel a little warmer than what the actual thermometer says, and it feels even nicer when the wind isn’t blowing 20+ mph.
Weather map late this Friday afternoon had a strong area of low pressure over western Quebec province (994mb) with high pressure (1026) covering the northern Plains. Dry northwest flow covered the upper Midwest today with late afternoon 850mb temperatures around -14C.
Our area will be dominated by high pressure through Sunday while an area of low pressure heads southeast out of the northern Rockies and western High Plains. Some clouds may push north into our area over the weekend due to that southern system, but there shouldn’t be any snow this far north. Note: There will be a wind shift to the east late Saturday into Sunday due to the low to our south and high to our north. East winds coming off Lake Superior coupled with 850mb temps of -12 to -15C could generate a few light lake effect snow showers and flurries Saturday night and Sunday along the North Shore of Lake Superior to the Twin Ports, but little if any snow accumulation is expected the way it looks now.
It will be a cool weekend with lows tonight ranging from the single digits below to 20s below zero. Highs on Saturday will be in the teens to lower 20s, and similar high temperatures are expected for Sunday. Note: Normal highs in mid February are in the low to mid 20s; Normal lows range from around zero to 5 above.
Duluth, Minnesota Climate Normals for February 16
High: 24
Low: 6
Sunrise Saturday: 7:11 AM CST
Sunset Saturday: 5:35 PM CST
Tim