334  
FXUS63 KDLH 060025  
AFDDLH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN  
625 PM CST MON JAN 5 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY LATE MORNING WITH  
VISIBILITY LESS THAN 1/4 MILE.  
 
- ICE AMOUNTS TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING DECREASED. FREEZING  
DRIZZLE IS THE MAIN CONCERN WITH ICE ACCUMULATION FROM A LIGHT  
GLAZE UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH POSSIBLE.  
 
- WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR INLAND NORTHWEST  
WISCONSIN. ICE ACCUMULATIONS COULD LEAD TO A SLIPPERY TUESDAY  
MORNING COMMUTE.  
 
- THE POTENTIAL FOR AN IMPACTFUL WINTER STORM LATE THIS WEEK  
INTO THE WEEKEND DECREASED. THERE REMAINS A 5 TO 10 PERCENT  
CHANCE OF SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OVER NORTHWEST  
WISCONSIN DURING THAT TIME.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 625 PM CST MON JAN 5 2026  
 
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY COVERAGE AND TIMING ADJUSTMENTS EARLY  
THIS EVENING....CROW WING THROUGH PINE COUNTIES WERE DROPPED  
FROM THE ADVISORY WITH THE EVENING UPDATE GIVEN THE SOUTH TO  
SOUTHEASTWARD TREND STILL ONGOING LEADING INTO THIS OVERNIGHT  
FREEZING RAIN CHANCES...MAINLY TO THE SOUTH OF MOST NORTHLAND  
COUNTIES. EXPANDING COVERAGE OF FREEZING FOG TONIGHT, WITH  
POSSIBLE POCKETS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE, MAY STILL YIELD A LIGHT  
GLAZE OF ICE ACCUMULATION THOUGH INTO TUESDAY MORNING. THE  
REMAINING DENSE FOG ADVISORY CONTINUES TO HIGHLIGHT THIS HAZARD  
FOR ALL REGIONAL COUNTIES...INCLUDING CROW WING THROUGH PINE.  
 
THE REMAINING COUNTIES FOR INLAND NW WI...BURNETT THROUGH  
PRICE...WERE PUSHED BACK IN TIME FOR BEGINNING THE WINTER  
WEATHER ADVISORY TO 3 AM. THE MOST IMPACTFUL FREEZING RAIN  
SHOWERS ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY INTO THE WI STATE ROUTE 29 CORRIDOR  
AND SOUTHWARD, BUT A PIVOTING UPPER-WAVE MAY STILL CREATE A FEW  
SPILL OVER FREEZING RAIN SHOWERS INTO INLAND NORTHWEST  
WISCONSIN TUESDAY MORNING. ANY ICE ACCUMULATIONS FOR INLAND  
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN WOULD BE A TENTH OF AN INCH OR LESS.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 337 PM CST MON JAN 5 2026  
 
MAIN CONCERNS WITH THIS FORECAST CYCLE INVOLVE THE POTENTIAL  
FOR ICING TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM FREEZING DRIZZLE OR  
LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND A POTENTIAL STORM SYSTEM WHICH COULD  
GRAZE THE NORTHLAND FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
 
FORECAST ICE AMOUNTS TRENDED LOWER WITH THE LATEST FORECAST.  
REGIONAL RADAR MOSAIC, AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVATIONS, AND  
WEBCAMS REVEAL LIGHT SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH A ZONE OF 850 TO 700  
MB FRONTOGENESIS AND ENHANCED ISENTROPIC ASCENT FROM NORTHEAST  
NORTH DAKOTA TO FAR NORTHWEST MINNESOTA AND SOUTHERN MANITOBA  
LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS IS AHEAD OF A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WHICH  
WILL PROPAGATE EASTWARD ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST TONIGHT AND  
TUESDAY. WE EXPECT THE AREA OF LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES  
TO ADVANCE EASTWARD AND EXPAND THROUGH THIS EVENING. THAT WILL  
BRING LIGHT SNOW CHANCES TO THE CANADIAN BORDERLANDS. FREEZING  
DRIZZLE WILL BE POSSIBLE AS WELL.  
 
LOW STRATUS AND AREAS OF DENSE FOG WERE REPORTED OVER PORTIONS  
OF WESTERN MINNESOTA TODAY. WHILE VISIBILITY AT SOME LOCATIONS  
SHOWED IMPROVEMENT DURING THE AFTERNOON, WE EXPECT CEILINGS TO  
TREND LOWER AND FOG TO BECOME DENSE TONIGHT. WE ISSUED A DENSE  
FOG ADVISORY FOR OUR ENTIRE AREA. THE GREATEST MOISTURE WILL  
START OUT ON THE MINNESOTA SIDE AND ADVECT NORTHEASTWARD WITH  
TIME TONIGHT. FOR OUR MINNESOTA COUNTIES, THE DENSE FOG ADVISORY  
GOES INTO EFFECT AT 6 PM. IN NORTHWEST WISCONSIN THE DENSE FOG  
ADVISORY BEGINS AT 9 PM. THE ADVISORY FOR BOTH AREAS EXPIRES AT  
NOON TUESDAY.  
 
THE STRONGEST FORCING FOR ASCENT WITH THE MAIN SHORTWAVE TROUGH  
SHIFTED SOUTH WITH THIS MORNING'S MODEL RUNS. LOW-LEVEL  
ISENTROPIC ASCENT IN THE 285-300K LAYER MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO  
SQUEEZE FREEZING DRIZZLE OUT OF THE LOW-LEVEL CLOUD LAYER. THAT  
LAYER OF MOISTURE RANGES FROM AROUND 1-3 THOUSAND FEET IN DEPTH.  
A COOL FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS EASTERN NORTH  
DAKOTA AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA TUESDAY MORNING AND ACROSS  
NORTHERN WISCONSIN TUESDAY AFTERNOON. MODEST 925 TO 850 MB  
FRONTOGENESIS WILL ADD TO THE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING DRIZZLE  
PARTICULARLY TUESDAY MORNING AND TUESDAY AFTERNOON. WE DECIDED  
TO KEEP THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN PLACE DESPITE ICE  
ACCUMULATION TRENDING LOWER, IN THE FEW HUNDREDTHS TO UP TO A  
TENTH OF AN INCH. PRECIPITATION MAY CHANGE TO SNOW IN THE WAKE  
OF THE COLD FRONT TUESDAY ALTHOUGH SNOW AMOUNTS WOULD ONLY BE A  
DUSTING UP TO AN INCH.  
 
FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY WE EXPECT A QUIETER STRETCH  
OF WEATHER. TEMPERATURES WILL TREND WARMER WEDNESDAY AND  
THURSDAY WITH DAYTIME HIGHS 15 TO 20 DEGREES (OR MORE) ABOVE  
NORMAL FOR EARLY JANUARY.  
 
A PATTERN SHIFT IS FORECAST FOR FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND. A DEEP LONGWAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE ROCKIES AND  
INTO THE PLAINS DURING THAT TIME. MODEL GUIDANCE SHIFTED A BIT  
FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST WITH THE TRACK OF A POTENTIAL LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM. THIS MORNING'S DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE  
GUIDANCE DECREASED THE RISK OF SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATION IN  
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN TO AROUND 5 TO 10 PERCENT. WE WILL CONTINUE  
TO MONITOR THE RISK THROUGH THE WEEK. THE FORECAST LOW TRACK MAY  
SHIFT BACK TOWARD THE WEST/NORTH, WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE RISK  
OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL FOR THE NORTHLAND.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 527 PM CST MON JAN 5 2026  
 
WIDESPREAD LIFR CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TONIGHT AS LOW STRATUS  
DROPS TOWARDS THE GROUND LEVEL AND DRIZZLE BECOMES MORE  
PREDOMINANT. AREAS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE/FOG MAY CREATE A COATING  
OF LIGHT ICE ON UNTREATED SURFACES INTO 15/16Z TUESDAY. EXPECT  
CONTINUED OVERCAST IFR SKY COVER EVEN AS THE VIS IMPROVES FROM  
DISSIPATING FOG TOWARDS 17-19Z. SKY COVER MAY SCOUR OUT EVEN  
21-23Z, BUT HAVE LARGELY LEFT PREVAILING LOW CONDITIONS FOR THIS  
TAF SET ISSUANCE.  
 
 
   
MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/  
 
ISSUED AT 337 PM CST MON JAN 5 2026  
 
RELATIVELY QUIET CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR MOST OF THE WEEK.  
BY THE FRIDAY/SATURDAY TIMEFRAME A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MAY PASS  
THROUGH THE MIDWEST WHICH COULD BRING HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS TO  
WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR IN THE FORM OF STRONG WINDS. THIS  
MORNING'S FORECAST DATA SHOWS THE LOW TRACK FARTHER SOUTH AND  
EAST THAN EARLIER FORECASTS, WHICH DECREASES THE RISK OF  
HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE FORECAST  
THROUGH THE WEEK. IT WOULD NOT TAKE MUCH OF A SHIFT IN THE  
FORECAST TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THE RISK OF HAZARDOUS  
CONDITIONS FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
 
FOR THE OPEN WATER DISCUSSION, REFER TO THE NWS MARQUETTE AREA  
FORECAST DISCUSSION AT WEATHER.GOV/MQT.  
 
 
   
DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
MN...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST TUESDAY FOR MNZ010>012-  
018>021-025-026-033>038.  
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3 AM CST TUESDAY FOR MNZ034-036-  
038.  
WI...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST TUESDAY FOR WIZ001>004-  
006>009.  
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST TUESDAY FOR WIZ006>009.  
MARINE...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON CST TUESDAY FOR LSZ142.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...NLY  
DISCUSSION...HUYCK  
AVIATION...NLY  
MARINE...HUYCK  
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