5:30 PM Thursday, April 18, 2024
An upper-level low is expected to move eastward from Manitoba and across Ontario over the next 24 hours.
In the Northland, south of the upper low, gusty winds and cool temperatures are expected, with the possibility of intermittent snow and rain showers tonight and into Friday.
Strong westerly winds are expected to persist at least until Saturday, with occasional gusts ranging from 20 to 35 mph.
Take a look at the peak wind gusts in Duluth from the past few days.
Tuesday: 56 mph
Wednesday: 50 mph
Thursday: 37 mph
Today’s upper low over central Canada is visible on the GOES-16 water vapor imagery. The loop concludes at 4:40 PM CT on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
A significant amount of cold air is flowing southeast from central Canada today, with 850mb temperatures reaching as low as -14°C in the region.
The cold air mass is expected to linger over the Northland until Saturday, with high temperatures reaching the upper 30s to lower 40s on Friday, and predominantly in the 40s on Saturday. Overnight lows are forecasted to be mostly in the 20s from tonight until Saturday night.
In the Northland, there has been minimal to no precipitation today, while areas to the west/northwest have experienced occasional snow showers or a mix of rain and snow.
The chance of encountering scattered snow or mixed rain and snow showers in the Northland could increase marginally by Friday. The main impact from these snow showers would likely be brief reductions in visibility.
HRRR model simulated radar forecast through Midnight tomorrow night.
Northern Minnesota is forecasted to receive less than an inch of snow by Friday evening.
Since mid-March, there has been a noticeable increase in activity within the weather patterns, resulting in multiple precipitation events affecting the Twin Ports area.
Since March 16, there have been 14 precipitation events in Duluth with a minimum of 0.01 inch of precipitation recorded.
The upcoming weather pattern appears to remain intermittently active.
The next opportunity for a widespread precipitation event in the Northland is forecasted for early next week, specifically Monday and Tuesday. An upper-level trough and a low-pressure area are expected to move east-southeast from southwest Canada and the northern Rockies. This system may bring another bout of rain to the region, with the possibility of some snow or a rain-snow mixture.
Looking ahead, a pattern emerges that we’ve recently observed: a western trough coupled with a ridge over the Ohio Valley and Southeast U.S. This configuration tends to generate a southwest flow aloft across the Upper Midwest by late next week or next weekend. Within this southwest flow, several low-pressure waves may be embedded, and the paths of these waves will dictate whether the Northland experiences additional rainfall during that period.
Thanks for reading!
Tim