Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Duluth, MN
Issued by NWS Duluth, MN
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925 FXUS63 KDLH 271012 AFDDLH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Duluth MN 412 AM CST Thu Nov 27 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Lake effect snow is expected to continue today, bringing an additional 3 to 6 inches to northern Iron County by Friday afternoon. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for Iron County today. - Lake effect snow is also expected today into tonight in the lee of Lake of the Woods. This could bring 1-2" to portions of Koochiching County. - Low pressure moving south of the Northland will bring some light snow accumulations this weekend. Highest accumulations are most likely over northwest Wisconsin. - Cold temperatures persist into next week. Sub-zero low temperatures early next week could lead to wind chills as low as the negative teens on Monday morning. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 412 AM CST Thu Nov 27 2025 Happy Thanksgiving! The vertically-stacked low pressure that brought widespread accumulating snowfall to the Northland over the past couple days continues to move downstream this morning. Current analysis from both the RAP and water vapor imagery shows this low pressure center well east of Lake Superior and north of Lake Huron. The deep moisture associated with this low pressure is also beginning to exit the region. In the wake of this departing low, widespread stratus and scattered flurries have been occurring as cyclonic flow aloft continues. In addition, lake effect snow persists along the South Shore this morning. With webcams and station observations showing improved visibility, the Blizzard Warning was cancelled several hours early for Iron and Ashland Counties. In place of the Blizzard Warning in Iron County, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect today until 6 PM CST. This is due to continuing lake effect snow accumulating 3 to 6 inches, especially in the higher elevations of the Penokee Range in northern Iron County. Northwest flow continuing today is expected to keep most of the accumulations east of the CWA in Michigan`s U.P. However, with delta-T remaining extremely favorable around 18-20 degC and lake- induced CAPE exceeding 500 J/kg, lake effect snow will continue to impact Iron County today. The latest HREF helps reflects this potential for additional snowfall, with a 50-60% chance for greater than 4" of snow assuming the forecasted 19:1 snow-to-liquid ratio. Expect lake effect snow to begin tapering off on Friday morning as drier air moves into the area. While the greatest impact from lake effect snow will be in north- central WI from Lake Superior, this won`t be the only area seeing lake effect accumulations in the CWA today into tonight! A subtle shortwave trough diving south towards the CWA today from northern Manitoba is expected to help provide the necessary forcing to begin lake effect snow in the lee of Lake Winnipeg. With the expected northwest winds today, this moistened airmass will likely then move over Lake of the Woods and pick up additional moisture as lake- induced CAPE builds to around 200-300 J/kg. The resulting lake effect snow will most likely fall along a narrow band in western and central Koochiching County and to a lesser extent north-central Itasca County. Total snow amounts by early Friday morning will be around 1-2". However, there is a small 15% chance that locally higher amounts up to 4" could occur in Koochiching County. Friday will see a lull in the pattern with dry conditions very likely and skies varying between mostly cloudy in the southern CWA to mostly sunny near the International Border. Temperatures remain on the cooler side, with highs on Friday in the low to mid 20s. Low temps on Friday night will be dropping into the single digits to low teens. Attention turns towards a deep trough that will be digging across the Intermountain West late Friday into early Saturday. This trough is anticipated to develop a Colorado Low and propagate this low pressure into the Midwest this weekend. Global models are in decent agreement that the vast majority of snowfall will remain south of the CWA. However, there is a 50% chance that areas along and south of the Iron Range will see at least 0.1" of snow from this system. Highest accumulations on Saturday afternoon into early Sunday morning will most likely be over northwest Wisconsin, with a 50-70% chance for 2" or more of snowfall. Probabilities for higher amounts quickly drop off with an 85% chance or greater that total accumulations remain below 6" by early Monday morning. The areas to monitor for highest accumulations will be southern Price County and the South Shore lake effect snow belts as northerly winds occur. Beyond this weekend, cooler temperatures are expected to persist with both high and low temps remaining well below freezing. On Sunday night into Monday morning, low temperatures are forecast to drop below zero for much of the CWA. This could lead to wind chills as low as the negative teens on Monday morning. For snow chances, global models suggest the potential for a Clipper type low pressure system arriving sometime around mid next week. However, large location and timing differences at this time greatly decrease confidence in impacts. What is much more certain is that winter weather appears to be sticking around through the forecast period and likely longer. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 1142 PM CST Wed Nov 26 2025 MVFR stratus is being observed tonight following the departure of a winter storm to the east. While there will be occasional improvements to VFR height stratus, MVFR conditions are expected to continue through the period for most terminals. Northwest winds will also remain gusty, beginning to east Thursday evening. Light snow showers will be possible this morning and again this afternoon. The snow this morning is expected to be from both anthropogenic sources in MN and lake effect and terrain-forced snow around the South Shore. This afternoon, northwest winds bringing moisture from Lake Winnipeg and Lake of the Woods will likely result in lake effect snow over north-central MN, impacting KINL and potentially KHIB. && .MARINE /FOR NEAR SHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/... Issued at 412 AM CST Thu Nov 27 2025 Strong northwest winds continue on the back side of the system that brought widespread snowfall over the past couple days. Gales continue early this morning with Gale Warnings remaining in effect until 6 AM CST. Waves along the South Shore this morning are around their expected peak of 7 to 10 ft. Winds and waves will be easing later this morning. However, Small Craft Advisories will be needed today into Friday morning as strong northwest winds continue and waves remain above 4 feet in the outer Apostle Islands. Winds will increase again over the weekend as another low pressure moves to our south. Chances for gales are low, but Small Craft Advisories will likely be needed. For the open water discussion, refer to the NWS Marquette Area Forecast Discussion at weather.gov/mqt. && .DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...None. WI...Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM CST this afternoon for WIZ004. MARINE...Gale Warning until 6 AM CST early this morning for LSZ121-140>148-150. && $$ DISCUSSION...Unruh AVIATION...Unruh MARINE...Unruh