Weather Blog for Duluth and the Northland

The arctic air has moved out for now, but it’s expected to make a comeback later this week. In the meantime, milder weather will settle in, with the Northland possibly seeing temperatures climb above 40 degrees on Tuesday. The last time it hit 40 or warmer in Duluth was November 24th, when the high reached 53.

As we see frequent airmass changes this week, wind will also be an issue. A warm air advection pattern continues tonight and Monday, followed by a cold advection pattern Tuesday night, shifting back to warm advection Wednesday, then cold advection again Thursday.

Wind gusts in the Northland could hit 15 to 30 mph from Tuesday into Wednesday morning, with even stronger winds likely on Thursday as a stronger system moves through the area.

While not exactly warm, temperatures in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin are running about 10 to 20 degrees higher this evening compared to Saturday night, signaling the start of the warmup.

Northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin aren’t expecting much precipitation this week, though several clipper systems will move through the area. Since the tracks of these lows will stay mostly north of the border, the amount of precipitation over the next few days will be limited.

A few snow showers could pop up tonight in far northern Minnesota and the Arrowhead, with less than an inch of accumulation expected. On Tuesday, we might get a mix of rain and snow showers in the morning and again in the evening, but any precipitation should be very light, if it happens at all.

A stronger low, possibly dipping below 990mb, is expected to move through the area on Thursday. Right now, its track appears to be well north, which should keep heavy snow or mixed precipitation away from northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin, though a little light snow is still possible. With a few days left, there’s still a chance the track could shift, so stay tuned.

Thursday’s weather system might bring strong northerly winds as the low moves out and arctic air sweeps in. Gusts could hit 30–40 mph or more, with 850mb winds ranging from roughly 50 to 70 knots, and some of that momentum mixing down to the surface.