Friday morning felt more like late March than the first day of May, with widespread temperatures in the upper teens and 20s across northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.
On Friday morning, May 1, 2026, some of the coldest temperatures recorded include
Ash Lake, MN: 17
International Falls, MN: 18
Hibbing, MN: 19
Hog Creek, MN: 19
Crane Lake, MN: 19
Cook, MN: 19
Orr, MN: 21
Duluth Airport: 23
Friday morning’s temperatures were roughly 10 to 15 degrees colder than the typical May 1st average, but no new cold records were set.
Record Lows for May 1
- Hibbing 16 set in 1966
- Ashland 16 set in 1978
- International Falls 17 set in 1909
- Duluth 19 set in 1909 and 1966
- Brainerd 20 set in 1978
It’s the return of a familiar setup we saw last winter, with an amplified pattern now in place featuring a trough to the east and ridging out west, putting the Northland in a cool northwest flow aloft.
While nights will be chilly, afternoons should warm up a bit, especially when the sun is out. Still, there won’t be any 70-degree or warmer days in the Northland for the next few weeks. The best we can expect is highs in the 50s and low 60s this weekend before another burst of chilly weather arrives by the middle of next week.
A northwest flow aloft will remain firmly entrenched for the foreseeable future, setting the stage for a parade of clippers. While none of these systems are expected to bring significant or widespread precipitation to the Northland, they may deliver occasional bursts of scattered showers.
The first of these clippers is expected to move through the area Saturday evening into the overnight hours, bringing scattered rain showers to northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.
HRRR model simulated radar forecast valid 12 PM Saturday to 7 AM Sunday.
Rainfall amounts are expected to stay below 0.10 inches in areas that see some light rain Saturday night.
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