Weather Blog for Duluth and the Northland

6:37 PM Friday, December 13, 2024

Light snow and freezing drizzle are expected in parts of northeast and eastern Minnesota and in parts of northwest Wisconsin this weekend, with winter weather advisories in effect where slippery conditions are most likely to occur.

Temperatures this weekend will range from the mid-20s to around 30 for highs on Saturday and in the 30s on Sunday. It looks like we’re done with subzero temperatures until sometime later next week.

A thin glaze of ice is possible this weekend in parts of the Northland, but the forecasted ice accumulations shouldn’t be enough to cause any tree or power line damage or power outages.

System responsible for bringing some light wintry precipitation to the Northland this weekend is forecast to track northeast out of southwestern Kansas, reaching northwest Illinois early Sunday morning. This low isn’t particularly strong, and it will be in the process of weakening as it lifts toward the Great Lakes this weekend.

Note: Duluth is running -4.6 inches below normal in snowfall this month and -14.5 inches below normal in snowfall since October 1st.

Some light snow and patchy freezing drizzle are possible at times in Duluth Saturday into Sunday; some patchy fog may also develop as we get into Saturday night and Sunday.

NAM 3km model simulated radar forecast valid 6 AM Saturday to 6 PM Sunday.

Not a lot of snow this weekend, with amounts of generally a trace to an inch, including for the Duluth area; however, this still could be enough snow to cause some slippery travel conditions this weekend.

Note: Up to 2 inches of snow are possible along the North Shore of Lake Superior due to easterly winds, which could cause some terrain-enhanced snowfall this weekend.

Here’s my snowfall forecast through Noon Sunday.

Here’s a look at the snow depth across Minnesota as of December 12, 2024.

Far northern Minnesota has been the spot for more significant snow events so far this early winter season, with snow depths of 8 to 12 inches or more over the Arrowhead and far northern Minnesota.

A regional view of winter weather alerts that are in effect this weekend, including an Ice Storm Warning for parts of central/eastern Iowa, where ice accumulations could reach one-tenth to three-tenths of an inch.

I had pretty good results for my Black Friday deal, and as a result, I’ll be running a Christmas deal through December 25th. An annual subscription is $35, down from $60. Subscribers gain early access to in-depth analysis of systems that may impact the Northland as well as snowfall forecasts.