Showers and thunderstorms continue to track east across parts of the Northland late this afternoon. The main threats with these storms are from heavy downpours, lightning, gusty winds and hail. A few of the storms especially this evening may reach severe limits with winds to 65 mph and hail up to ping pong ball size (1.5″ diameter)
For the Duluth area: In Duluth, showers and thunderstorms are possible tonight after 8 PM, ending by early Friday morning. The following days should be mostly dry, with rain expected to return around Sunday or Labor Day. Expect gusty east winds of 15-30 mph tonight, tapering off significantly by Friday.
Rainfall from tonight’s storms is expected to range from 0.25 to 0.75 inches, with some areas potentially receiving over an inch.
Radar loop ends 5:58 PM Thursday, September 3, 2026.
Today, a well-organized system of showers and thunderstorms moved from northwest North Dakota before sunrise and, by late Thursday afternoon, was advancing into north-central Minnesota. Those yellow, orange, and red areas on the loop indicate cloud top temperatures ranging from -55 to -65°C, which are indicative of strong, deep convection.
GOES-19 infrared satellite imagery loop for Thursday, September 3, 2026, spanning 5:25 AM to 5:20 PM CT.
Thunderstorms today have been developing near and north of a warm frontal boundary that extended across the southern half of Minnesota. This front has served as the focus for several rounds of showers and storms over the past few days, though most of the rainfall remained south of our area until today, when conditions shifted farther north.
Friday and Saturday, the boundary is expected to move farther west and south, bringing generally dry conditions to northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. From Sunday through Tuesday, the likelihood of showers and thunderstorms will increase again as the system shifts back north and east, before exiting the region around midweek.
Persistent easterly winds are expected near Lake Superior through at least Labor Day (Monday). These winds may occasionally produce fog and low clouds in the Twin Ports area and along the lakeshore over the next few days.
There’s a pronounced CAPE gradient across the region today, with values exceeding 3000 J/kg in parts of western and central Minnesota, while northern Minnesota sees around 1000 J/kg or less. Storms have generally been tracking north of the areas with the highest CAPE.
