Northland Weather Forecast: Frigid Temperatures Ahead; Lake Superior Ice Coverage Update

6:33 PM Sunday, February 16, 2025

Arctic air will dominate the weather in the Northland this week as a strong upper-level low moves southeast from Manitoba.

500mb heights at the center of this upper low were about 501 meters today, with 850mb temperatures (around 5000 feet) reaching -34C.

High temperatures in the Northland will be between -5 to 5 degrees on Monday, and mostly in the single digits to about 10 degrees for Tuesday and Wednesday. These temperatures are about 20 to 25 degrees below normal for mid-February.

Note: Even though it’s going to be very cold in the next few days, any sunshine we have will make the afternoons feel a bit warmer since the sun gets stronger as February goes on.

Low temperatures in our area will be between the teens and 20s below zero from tonight to Wednesday night, with some parts of northern Minnesota possibly hitting 30s below. Note: Subzero lows are expected to continue through Friday night but should be less severe than earlier in the week.

• An Extreme Cold Warning is in effect from midnight tonight to 10 AM Monday for the areas in darker blue on the map. Wind chills as low as 45 below zero are expected.
• A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect from midnight tonight to 10 AM Monday for the areas in lighter blue on the map. Wind chills as low as 35 below zero are expected.

• An Extreme Cold Watch is in effect from late Monday night through Tuesday morning for all of northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. Wind chills as low as 40 degrees below zero are possible.

HRRR model wind chill forecast through Noon Monday.

Lake Superior Ice Update

With the cold temperatures in January and February, one might expect more ice on Lake Superior, but as of mid-February, ice coverage is only 20-25%, which is below the normal 40-45% for this time of year.

This winter’s lower ice coverage may be due to gusty winds that mix the water instead of calm conditions, which would help ice form better, along with the mild water temperatures we experienced well into fall.

Check out all the current winter weather alerts in the U.S. It’s a wild winter pattern again.