029
FXUS63 KDLH 062320
AFDDLH
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
520 PM CST TUE JAN 6 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- DENSE FOG IS LIKELY TONIGHT.
- DRY AND MILD FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH DRY CONDITIONS.
- PRECIPITATION CHANCES RETURN FOR FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND AS
THE PATTERN TURNS COOLER AND MORE ACTIVE.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 221 PM CST TUE JAN 6 2026
LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF HUDSON BAY AND WEST OF JAMES
BAY IN NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO THIS AFTERNOON WITH A COLD FRONT
TRAILING ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR INTO NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN,
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND BACK INTO THE DAKOTAS. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE
WAS ANALYZED ACROSS THE RED RIVER VALLEY OF THE NORTH. AHEAD OF
THE COLD FRONT ACROSS NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN, RADAR RETURNS
WERE EVIDENT WITH SURFACE OBSERVATIONS OF FREEZING RAIN,
FREEZING DRIZZLE AND UNKNOWN PRECIPITATION. THIS ACTIVITY WILL
MOVE EAST OF THE NORTHLAND BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON WITH A TRACE
TO PERHAPS A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF ICE POSSIBLE ACROSS
MAINLY IRON AND PRICE COUNTIES. AS THE RIDGE AXIS MOVES THROUGH
THE REGION TONIGHT, WINDS WILL TURN SOUTHERLY AND BRING WARMER
AIR NORTHWARD. THIS WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOG ACROSS
MUCH OF THE NORTHLAND FOR THE EARLY MORNING HOURS THROUGH LATE
MORNING. SOME AREAS OF FOG MAY BE DENSE AND AN ADVISORY MAY BE
NEEDED IF DENSE FOG IS WIDESPREAD.
QUASI-ZONAL FLOW ALOFT ON WEDNESDAY WILL TRANSITION TO
SOUTHWESTERLY BY THURSDAY. THIS WILL KEEP SOUTHERLY FLOW AT THE
SURFACE IN PLACE AT THE SURFACE WEDNESDAY WITH HIGHS WEDNESDAY
AND THURSDAY IN THE MIDDLE 30S ALONG WITH DRY CONDITIONS. WITH
THE ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES DURING THE DAY LEADING TO
SNOWMELT, THERE WILL LIKELY BE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FOR THE
FORMATION OF FOG WEDNESDAY NIGHT, ESPECIALLY IN SOUTHERN AREAS.
HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND, SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL BRING A
PANHANDLE HOOK STORM FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE GREAT
LAKES IN THE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY TIMEFRAME. GLOBAL MODELS
CONTINUE TO KEEP ALMOST ALL OF THE IMPACTS FROM THIS SYSTEM OUT
OF THE NORTHLAND, ASIDE FROM PERHAPS PRICE COUNTY SEEING CHANCES
FOR RAIN OR A RAIN/SNOW MIX AS THE SYSTEM PASSES WELL TO OUR
SOUTH AND EAST. COOLER AIR WILL ARRIVE BEHIND THIS SYSTEM FOR
FRIDAY WITH HIGHS REACHING INTO THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S.
ANOTHER LOW THEN LOOKS TO DEVELOP ALONG THE COLD FRONT IN
EASTERN TEXAS AND MOVE NORTHEASTWARD AS ANOTHER UPPER LOW AND
ASSOCIATED TROUGH MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. AS THESE
SYSTEMS INTERACT ACROSS THE MIDWEST, LIGHT SNOW LOOKS POSSIBLE
ACROSS PARTS OF THE NORTHLAND FOR SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT.
THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL LIKELY BE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST WISCONSIN
SNOWBELT WITH LAKE-ENHANCEMENT FOLLOWED BY LAKE-EFFECT SNOWFALL.
TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO COOL WITH HIGHS SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY IN THE 20S. LOW CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION LINGER INTO
NEXT WEEK ALONG WITH A BRIEF WARMUP TO START THE WEEK BEFORE
COOLING TO MORE NORMAL TEMPERATURES MIDWEEK.
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/
ISSUED AT 518 PM CST TUE JAN 6 2026
VLIFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT AS ALREADY-LOW
STRATUS DECKS LOWER TOWARDS MINIMUMS AND DENSE FOG SETS UP FROM
02 TO 06Z THIS EVENING. EXPECT THESE SIMILAR CONDITIONS INTO THE
15-16Z TIME PERIOD BEFORE IMPROVING TOWARDS 17-19Z. SOME
TERMINALS ARE EVEN EXPECTED TO SEE SCOURING SKIES AFTER 19Z WITH
VFR CONDITIONS INTO TOMORROW EVENING.
MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/
ISSUED AT 221 PM CST TUE JAN 6 2026
WINDS WILL GENERALLY REMAIN UNDER 15 KNOTS THROUGH THE FORECAST
PERIOD WITH A FEW GUSTS TO AROUND 20 KNOTS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY
FROM THE SOUTHWEST FROM GRAND MARAIS TO GRAND PORTAGE. STRONGER
WINDS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY AS A LARGE AREA OF LOW
PRESSURE PASSES THROUGH/NEAR THE REGION. THERE REMAINS A 5 TO
10% CHANCE OF GALES DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. OTHERWISE, NO
HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
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...NONE.
DISCUSSION...BJH
AVIATION...NLY
MARINE...BJH
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page