964  
FXUS63 KDLH 281102  
AFDDLH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN  
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN  
502 AM CST SAT FEB 28 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- A BRIEF SHOT OF ARCTIC AIR THIS WEEKEND WILL RESULT IN COLDER  
TEMPERATURES. SUNDAY MORNING WILL SEE THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES  
IN THE FORECAST PERIOD, WITH LOWS IN THE NEGATIVE SINGLE  
DIGITS TO NEGATIVE TEENS.  
 
- A DRY PATTERN DEVELOPS FOR THIS UPCOMING WEEK WITH  
TEMPERATURES FOLLOWING A GRADUAL WARMING TREND. HIGH  
TEMPERATURES BY MID TO LATE WEEK WILL BE IN THE UPPER 30S TO  
UPPER 40S WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 20S TO LOW 30S.  
 
- THE NEXT BEST CHANCE FOR WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION COMES LATE  
THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY, WITH A WINTRY MIX POSSIBLE.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 315 AM CST SAT FEB 28 2026  
 
CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN FAIRLY QUIET THIS MORNING AS NORTHWEST  
WINDS HAVE EASED FOLLOWING A STRONG COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE  
YESTERDAY. LINGERING LOW STRATUS WITH OCCASIONAL FLURRIES  
CONTINUES EARLY THIS MORNING IN THE ARROWHEAD AS CYCLONIC FLOW  
ALOFT OCCURS. IN THE SNOW BELT OF THE PENOKEE RANGE IN NORTHERN  
IRON COUNTY, LAKE EFFECT STRATUS IS BEING OBSERVED EARLY THIS  
MORNING. HOWEVER, WEBCAMS AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOW NO  
SNOWFALL OCCURRING AT THE SURFACE. WHILE FLURRIES ARE CERTAINLY  
POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO ELEVATED DELTA-TS  
BETWEEN THE LAKE SFC AND 850MB OF AROUND 14-16 DEGC, DRY AIR  
ADVECTION OCCURRING LATER THIS MORNING WILL BE BRINGING ANY  
LINGERING FLURRIES TO AN END ACROSS THE CWA.  
 
A BAND OF SNOW DEVELOPING AROUND A STRONG BAROCLINIC ZONE IS  
EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL/SOUTHERN MN INTO SOUTHERN WI  
TODAY. FOR OUR NECK OF THE WOODS, IMPACTS FROM THIS PASSING BAND  
OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED TO BE CONFINED TO FAR SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF  
THE CWA. TOTAL SNOWFALL TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING WILL ONLY BE  
A TRACE TO A COUPLE TENTHS OF AN INCH FOR AREAS SOUTH OF MN-210  
AND WI-70. FOR MUCH OF THE CWA, SKIES WILL BE PARTLY TO MOSTLY  
CLOUDY WITH MUCH COOLER HIGH TEMPS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO UPPER  
TEENS.  
 
THE BRIEF SHOT OF ARCTIC AIR IMPACTING THE CWA THIS WEEKEND  
WILL BRING THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY  
SUNDAY MORNING, WITH LOWS ON SUNDAY MORNING IN THE NEGATIVE  
SINGLE DIGITS TO NEGATIVE TEENS. WHILE HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED  
OVER THE CWA WILL KEEP WINDS RELATIVELY LIGHT, THERE IS A 60+%  
CHANCE FOR WIND CHILLS LESS THAN -20 DEGREES IN THE MN ARROWHEAD  
EAST OF US-53. WHILE A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY IS NOT EXPECTED TO  
BE NEEDED AT THIS TIME, IT WILL STILL BE A CHILLY START TO  
SUNDAY!  
 
A MOSTLY DRY PATTERN DEVELOPS HEADING INTO THIS UPCOMING WEEK  
WITH TEMPERATURES FOLLOWING A GRADUAL WARMING TREND. SPLIT MID  
TO UPPER LEVEL FLOW IS VERY LIKELY (85% CHANCE) TO KEEP THE  
MAJORITY OF PRECIPITATION BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE CWA  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. A BETTER CHANCE FOR MORE WIDESPREAD  
PRECIPITATION ARRIVES LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AS A COLORADO  
LOW POTENTIALLY DEVELOPS AND PROPAGATES INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST.  
CONFIDENCE IN TIMING AND PRECIPITATION TYPE IS VERY LOW AT THIS  
TIME FOR THIS LATE WEEK SYSTEM, WITH THE GEFS AND ECMWF ENSEMBLE  
MEAN SEA LEVEL PRESSURE CENTERS SHOWING LITTLE CLUSTERING AND  
VERY WIDE SPATIAL VARIATION. THIS HIGH UNCERTAINTY IS REFLECTED  
IN THE FORECAST UPDATE THIS MORNING, WITH THE CHANCE FOR  
PRECIPITATION REMAINING IN THE 20 TO 40% RANGE.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 502 AM CST SAT FEB 28 2026  
 
WITH SNOW CHANCES REMAINING TO THE SOUTH HAVE OPTED TO REMOVE  
ANY MENTION OF EVEN PROB30S. THE SNOW APPEARS TO BE SETTING UP  
FAR ENOUGH SOUTH THAT IMPACTS DID NOT MEET THE 30 PERCENT CHANCE  
FOR A PROB30. WINDS ARE LIGHT FROM THE NORTHWEST TODAY INTO  
TONIGHT WITH VFR CEILINGS. THERE IS AN AREA OF LOWER MVFR  
CEILINGS OVER THE ARROWHEAD, BUT IT LOOKS TO REMAIN EAST OF HIB  
AND NORTH OF DLH.  
 
 
   
MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/  
 
ISSUED AT 312 AM CST SAT FEB 28 2026  
 
NORTHWEST WINDS HAVE BEEN EASING THIS MORNING FOLLOWING THE  
PASSAGE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT YESTERDAY. EXPECT NORTHWEST WINDS  
TO PERSIST TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT, WITH WIND GUSTS OF 20 KNOTS OR  
LESS. WINDS SHIFT TO THE SOUTHWEST ON SUNDAY, WITH SPEEDS AND  
GUSTS REMAINING AT 15 KNOTS OR LESS. THE NEXT PERIOD OF CONCERN,  
WHERE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED, WILL BE ON MONDAY AS  
LOW PRESSURE MOVING INTO NORTHERN ONTARIO INCREASES THE PRESSURE  
GRADIENT ACROSS WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO  
25-30 KNOTS POSSIBLE FROM GRAND MARAIS TO GRAND PORTAGE.  
 
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...UNRUH  
AVIATION...NDC  
MARINE...UNRUH  
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