648
FXUS63 KDLH 031838
AFDDLH
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
138 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- A STRONG BAND OF HEAVY SNOW WILL SET UP ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL
MINNESOTA TONIGHT THROUGH NOON SATURDAY.
- A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED
ACROSS NORTHWEST WISCONSIN TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING.
- SNOW SQUALLS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE NEXT CLIPPER SUNDAY INTO
MONDAY.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 107 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2026
FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, THE FIRST WAVE OF PRECIPITATION ALONG
A WARM FRONT IS MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS MINNESOTA. HOWEVER,
RADAR TRENDS AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOW THAT NOT MUCH IS
HITTING THE GROUND, WITH ONLY A FEW STATIONS REPORTING DRIZZLE.
LITTLE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE GROUND FROM THIS
INITIAL WAVE THIS AFTERNOON. THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION HAS
SLOWED SLIGHTLY FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA, SO ALL WINTER WEATHER
HEADLINES HAVE BEEN DELAYED TO 7 PM THIS EVENING. SOUNDINGS FROM
THE HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS SHOW THAT A WARM NOSE FROM SOUTHERLY
FLOW ALOFT WILL LEAD TO MIXED PRECIPITATION LATER THIS EVENING,
ESPECIALLY TO OUR SOUTHEAST. THE TWIN PORTS WILL PRIMARILY SEE
ICE PELLETS MIXED WITH SNOW AS THE WARM NOSE IS NOT QUITE AS
PROMINENT THERE, LEAVING PLENTY OF SUBFREEZING AIR BELOW IT TO
REFREEZE ANY MELTED PRECIPITATION. THE WARM NOSE WILL BE MUCH
STRONGER OVER NORTHWEST WISCONSIN WITH LESS SUBFREEZING AIR
BELOW IT, WHICH WILL LEAD TO MORE FREEZING RAIN AND SIGNIFICANT
ICE ACCUMULATION. A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH OF ICE IS EXPECTED TO
FALL ACROSS NORTHWEST WISCONSIN TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY.
A SHORT TIME AFTER THE WINTRY MIX STARTS THIS EVENING, WE ARE
EXPECTING SNOW ACROSS NORTHEAST MINNESOTA. A TROWAL IN NORTH
CENTRAL MINNESOTA WILL HAVE STRONG UPPER LEVEL FORCING, STRONG
LIFT THROUGH THE DENDRITIC GROWTH ZONE, AND PLENTY OF MOISTURE
TO SUPPORT HEAVY SNOW. THIS WILL BE PARTICULARLY INTENSE
OVERNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH NOON SATURDAY. THE TROWAL WILL BEGIN
TO MOVE OFF TO THE NORTHEAST INTO CANADA BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON,
BUT LIGHT SNOW WILL LINGER ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE REST OF
THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS.
AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM EXITS THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT,
COLD AIR WRAPPING IN FROM THE NORTHWEST AND MOVING OVER LAKE
SUPERIOR WILL LEAD TO LAKE ENHANCED SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS NORTHERN
IRON AND ASHLAND COUNTIES. FOR THE REST OF THE NORTHLAND, SNOW
WILL COME TO AN END FROM WEST TO EAST SATURDAY NIGHT, LEAVING A
BRIEF WINDOW OF DRY AND QUIET WEATHER FOR THE FIRST HALF OF
SUNDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL REBOUND INTO THE UPPER 30S TO
MIDDLE 40S.
THIS BREAK WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS A CLIPPER SYSTEM DIVES
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY
AFTERNOON. THIS WILL BRING ADDITIONAL LIGHT SNOW TO THE REGION,
GENERALLY TOTALING AROUND TWO INCHES OR LESS. BREEZY NORTHWEST
WINDS AND STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES COULD SUPPORT ISOLATED
SNOW SQUALLS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND AGAIN MONDAY AFTERNOON.
TEMPERATURES ON MONDAY WILL BE COOLER IN THE WAKE OF THE
CLIPPER, WITH HIGHS STRUGGLING TO REACH THE MIDDLE 30S AND
OVERNIGHT LOWS FLIRTING WITH ZERO MONDAY NIGHT.
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA FOR TUESDAY, OFFERING MOSTLY
SUNNY SKIES AND A DRY DAY. AFTER THE CHILLY MORNING,
TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY WARM INTO THE UPPER 30S AND LOWER 40S.
THE ACTIVE PATTERN RESUMES TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS
ANOTHER SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE NORTH. THIS WILL BRING
CHANCES FOR RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS THROUGH THURSDAY. HIGHS WILL
WARM INTO THE 40S AND 50S BY WEDNESDAY AS WINDS SHIFT TO THE
SOUTH AND EAST, BEFORE COOLING SLIGHTLY ON THURSDAY AS
PRECIPITATION CHANCES CONTINUE.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/
ISSUED AT 1227 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2026
MVFR TO VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE AFTERNOON AHEAD OF
THE SECOND WINTER SYSTEM TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. SNOW IS
EXPECTED AT ALL THE MINNESOTA TERMINALS STARTING AT BRD LATER
THIS EVENING. SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES, LEADING TO
VISIBILITIES DOWN TO A HALF AND QUARTER MILE THROUGHOUT THE
NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. HYR, ON THE OTHER HAND, WILL SEE
LITTLE SNOW WITH FREEZING RAIN AS THE PREDOMINANT PRECIPITATION
TYPE. IFR CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AND NEXT
MORNING.
MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/
ISSUED AT 107 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2026
NORTHEAST WINDS WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE THIS EVENING AS A STRONG
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES THE REGION. A GALE WARNING GOES
INTO EFFECT LATE THIS EVENING FOR WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR AND
CONTINUES THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON, WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO 40
KNOTS AND WAVES BUILDING TO 7 TO 12 FEET. WINDS WILL WEAKEN AND
SHIFT TO THE WEST ON SUNDAY BEFORE INCREASING OUT OF THE
NORTHWEST ON MONDAY AS A CLIPPER SYSTEM PASSES THROUGH THE
REGION, LEADING TO CONDITIONS LIKELY HAZARDOUS FOR SMALL CRAFT.
FOR THE OPEN WATER DISCUSSION, REFER TO THE NWS MARQUETTE AREA
FORECAST DISCUSSION AT WEATHER.GOV/MQT.
DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MN...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 AM CDT SUNDAY
FOR MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038.
WI...ICE STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM CDT SATURDAY
FOR WIZ001>004-006>009.
MARINE...GALE WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM CDT SATURDAY FOR
LSZ140>144.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 AM CDT SUNDAY
FOR LSZ142.
GALE WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM CDT SATURDAY FOR LSZ145>147-
150.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR LSZ150.
DISCUSSION...KML
AVIATION...KML
MARINE...KML
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page