Weather Blog for Duluth and the Northland

Another cold front is set to move through the Northland tonight. Ahead of it, warm southwesterly breezes prevail, while behind the front, winds shift to a cooler northwesterly direction.

Expect scattered showers and occasional thunderstorms with tonight’s front, with rain generally moving east to east-southeast. Widespread heavy rain is unlikely; most areas will see less than a quarter of an inch, though localized amounts could reach half an inch or more.

Instability values are generally modest today, reaching up to around 1000 J/kg in north-central Minnesota, with mid-level lapse rates near 6.0°C/km or lower and wind shear mostly under 30 knots. This means that while some thunderstorms are likely across the Northland this evening, the overall severe weather threat remains low, though isolated stronger storms with hail up to quarter size (1″) and wind gusts of 40–60 mph cannot be ruled out.

Note: Rain chances in Duluth are highest primarily before midnight tonight.

Radar loop ends 5:17 PM Monday, August 17, 2026.

Colder cloud tops associated with thunderstorms appear in blue, green, and yellow on the loop below.

Goes-19 infrared satellite loop ending 4:55 PM CT Monday, August 17, 2026.

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Temperatures this afternoon climbed into the low to mid-80s in northwest Wisconsin, the Twin Ports area, and east-central Minnesota, with 70s farther north. Today was likely one of the warmer days we’ll experience this week.

Note: Today, August 17th, marked only the second day this month that temperatures reached 80°F in Duluth, and the first since August 6th. In August, Duluth typically experiences around seven days with highs of 80°F or higher.

Along the cold frontal boundary, dew points are climbing into the low to mid-60s this afternoon, whereas areas east of the front see dew points mostly in the 50s. This narrow band of higher moisture will move eastward with the cold front this evening.