Weather Blog for Duluth and the Northland

Today’s warm air will give way to colder conditions tonight, with brisk northwest winds blowing at 15 to 25 mph and gusts reaching 35 to 50 mph.

In Duluth, the strongest winds are expected between 7 PM tonight and 2 AM Wednesday, with gusts reaching up to 45 mph.

Early Wednesday morning, temperatures in the Northland will range from about 2 degrees below zero to 10 degrees above.

Wind advisories are in place for strong gusts this evening in northern Minnesota, lasting through early Wednesday morning along the North Shore of Lake Superior. These powerful winds could knock down tree limbs and cause some power outages.

Warm air swept through the Northland today, pushing temperatures well into the 40s and even into the lower 50s in parts of north central Minnesota. With normal highs for December 16th in the low to mid 20s, today was a solid 20 to 30 degrees warmer than usual—a stark contrast to the frigid conditions of the past couple of weeks.

***Record high temperatures were set in northeast Minnesota today, Tuesday, December 16, 2025***

• International Falls: New record high 50. Old record high 43 set in 1913.
• Hibbing: New record high 47. Old record high 41 set in 1984 and 2021.

Today’s high of 50 in International Falls set a new record for the latest date with a temperature of 50 or warmer, going back to 1897. The previous record was December 14, set just two years ago in 2023.

…Thursday’s system…

A strong clipper low will move through the Northland from Wednesday night into Thursday, with low pressure tracking east-southeast across far northern Minnesota before heading out over Lake Superior.

The storm track has stayed pretty much the same over the past 24 hours, with no noticeable move farther south to boost the chances of a bigger snow or mixed precipitation event in the Northland.

On Thursday, a strong pressure gradient is expected, with warm air moving in early before a sharp shift to cold air later in the day. This change will likely bring gusty winds of 30 to 40 mph across much of the Northland from Thursday afternoon into the night.

Thursday morning will kick off with temps in the 30s across much of northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin, but colder air will settle into the Northland by afternoon, sending Duluth into the teens by late day and below zero early Friday. By Friday morning, much of the region can expect temperatures anywhere from around 0 to as cold as -20 degrees.

Take a look at how the Arctic air moves in the RGEM model forecast from 7 AM Thursday to 7 AM Friday.

Northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin are in for a mix of snow, rain, and wintry mix Wednesday night into early Thursday, with snow showers sticking around through Thursday afternoon and into the evening.

There’s a chance for heavier bursts of snow Thursday afternoon and evening as a strong upper low moves over the area, potentially creating some extra lift in the atmosphere.

Overall, I don’t expect snow accumulations to exceed about 0.5 to 3 inches, with the higher amounts likely in far northern Minnesota and the Arrowhead, closer to the track of the surface low.

RAP model precipitation type forecast valid from 12 PM Wednesday to 6 PM Thursday.

Snow – blue
Mix – pink
Rain – green

Weather alerts for Thursday