Several fires have erupted this afternoon in northeast Minnesota.
Here are a few of the fires reported on the Watch Duty website today, with the information last updated around 4 PM on Friday, May 15, 2026.
- Stewart Trail Fire near Two Harbors, MN. 50 acres. Evacuations are being conducted on Highway 61 up to loop road.
- Highway 135 Fire near Gilbert, MN. 25 acres. Minnesota State Highway 135 in Gilbert is impacted. The public is asked to avoid the area for their safety and the safety of fire personnel. Units are working to protect structures at Holiday Station Store and the storage unit area. –4:40 PM update — After two hours of initial attack, fire crews were able to knock down the flames that were in the city of Gilbert. The fire that is still burning is moving towards non-populated areas to the north. The south-side of the fire is under control, which is where the city of Gilbert lies.
- Bear Fire, Babbitt, MN. 5 acres.
It’s a warm day, with temperatures reaching the 70s and low 80s across northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.
Note: Duluth hit its first official 80-degree day of 2026 today, with a high of 80 at the airport. The last time it reached 80 or warmer was on October 4, 2025, when the high was 84 degrees. On average, Duluth sees its first 80-degree day around May 23.
It’s extremely dry this afternoon, with relative humidity levels dropping into the teens and low 20s percent range.
It’s been a windy day, with west to southwest winds gusting over 30 mph and, in some spots like International Falls, reaching more than 50 mph!
…Saturday’s weather (May 16)…
It’ll stay dry across the Northland on Saturday, with cooler temps up north and milder temps to the south. Highs will range from the 50s in far northern Minnesota to the 60s and 70s in east-central Minnesota and across northwest Wisconsin. It’ll be breezy again, though not as windy as Friday, with gusts between 15-30 mph. It also won’t be quite as dry as today, but humidity will still be low, in the 25 to 40 percent range by Saturday afternoon.
Changes move in Sunday as a system approaches from the Plains, setting the stage for a couple of rounds of rain in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday. It probably won’t rain the whole time, but expect occasional rain.
Strong northeast winds of 25 to 45 mph are expected around Lake Superior and Duluth on Sunday and Sunday night, with temperatures dipping into the 30s and 40s near the lake.
From Sunday through Tuesday morning, the Northland could see widespread rainfall totaling 1 to 2 inches or more.
