Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Duluth, MN
Issued by NWS Duluth, MN
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915 FXUS63 KDLH 221135 AFDDLH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Duluth MN 535 AM CST Fri Nov 22 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Light snow showers along and north of the Iron Range in far northern Minnesota this afternoon and evening. - The next round of snowfall is expected Sunday PM through Monday morning when there is a 30-60% chance of 1-3 inches of snowfall mainly along and north of U.S. Highway 2. - There is a 60-80% chance of seasonably colder air setting up beginning Thursday of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 306 AM CST Fri Nov 22 2024 Light rain showers and low-level stratus producing mist over the South Shore snowbelt is expected to continue into the early morning hours today under northerly low-level flow. As winds back westerly, the precip chances decrease for those snowbelt locations by later this morning. Shortwave troughing over northern Manitoba supported by a mid- level jet streak crossing over the International Border region of MN/MB/ON dips southwestward this afternoon. Out ahead of this setup, a skinny 850-500 mb layer of 80-90% relative humidity advects into the area to create a 2-4 hour time period where very light snowfall is forecast from along and north of the Iron Range later today. While flurries are possible as far south as the US Hwy 2 corridor today, accumulating snowfall (Trace to 0.5 inches) is most likely (20-50% chance) in northern Itasca, Koochiching and northern St Louis Counties. While there is a 10-20% chance for a few tenths of an inch in northern Cook and Lake Counties, and this is currently reflected in the forecast, guidance points towards the better moisture lifting north of those counties this evening so a trend downward in future forecasts in the Arrowhead would not be too surprising. High pressure sets up tonight to create near-normal low temperatures forecast in the lower-20s areawide and a dry day on Saturday with highs in the upper-30s for northwest Wisconsin and into the Brainerd Lakes and and near-freezing along and north of the Iron Range. There is high confidence in some part of the Northland seeing snowfall from a weak shortwave trough Sunday PM and into Monday morning. The uncertainty in the forecast builds in though from widely varying placements on the location and depth of that shortwave trough moving through the Northern U.S. Plains Sunday morning towards the Upper Midwest. Presently, the forecast favors a more northern stream solution which keeps a general 1-3" of snowfall (30-60% chance of occurring) along and north of U.S. Highway 2 in northwest Wisconsin for those snowbelt locations and across much of far northern Minnesota. This snowfall is most likely from Sunday evening through Monday morning. Northerly flow behind a potential Colorado Low lifting through the Lower Midwest and into the Corn Belt states in this same time period creates lingering lake-effect regime snow shower chances for the South Shore snowbelts Monday. A colder airmass that will be located over the Northern High Plains early next week pulls eastward into the Upper Midwest by next Tuesday. Expect high temperatures in the upper-20s and low temperatures beginning to drop into the teens routinely for the start of Thanksgiving holiday travel. There is 60-80% confidence in this colder than normal airmass setting up at least through the end of next week...coldest on or just after Thanksgiving. Current forecast low temperatures, dependent upon sky cover, wind speed and temperatures aloft, could easily (50-70% chance) begin to drop into the single digits above zero if this trend continues. The coldest air over Dakotas is most likely to push as far east as north-central Minnesota in this time period so warmer temperatures would be expected and are forecast into northwest Wisconsin for late next week. && .AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 535 AM CST Fri Nov 22 2024 A few flurries spreading north to south through northeast Minnesota creating localized MVFR visibility reductions that are expected through mid-morning today. IFR stratus lingers through 16-20Z today before lifting to MVFR in the afternoon and through the evening hours. An approaching weak weather system scraping the International Border creates a 30-40% chance of light snow showers after 19Z today first at KINL and then later as far south as KHIB through 23Z today. Handled this with a TEMPO at INL and PROB30 at HIB with this latest issuance. The snow showers are expected to skirt by each terminal within a few hours so by 00-03Z, most sites are forecast to be free of impactful snowfall beyond the tip of the Arrowhead. && .MARINE /FOR NEAR SHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/... Issued at 213 AM CST Fri Nov 22 2024 Northerly winds decrease in speed through the pre-dawn hours today, lingering last north of Grand Marais and in the Outer Apostle Islands. Small Craft Advisories remain in effect until 6 AM this morning for these last few forecast hours of gusts to 25 knots. Lighter westerly winds are forecast through Saturday evening. An incoming weather system later Sunday increase easterly winds over the North Shore though by late Saturday night and could require another round of Small Craft Advisories. For the open water discussion, refer to the NWS Marquette Area Forecast Discussion at weather.gov/mqt. && .DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...None. WI...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM CST early this morning for LSZ140>145-150. && $$ DISCUSSION...NLy AVIATION...NLy MARINE...NLy