881  
FXUS63 KDLH 170554  
AFDDLH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN  
1254 AM CDT THU SEP 17 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- LIGHT RAIN SLIDES OFF TO THE EAST OVERNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS  
SHOULD BE LIGHT, LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH FOR MOST AREAS.  
 
- ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION EARLY  
FRIDAY AND LINGER INTO SATURDAY MORNING. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL  
(50-60% OF 1") WILL BE FROM BURNETT TO PRICE WITH A SHARP  
GRADIENT IN RAINFALL TOTALS AS YOU HEAD NORTH.  
 
- NEAR-NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 60S TO LOW 70S FOR THE  
LATER HALF OF THE WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 257 PM CDT WED SEP 16 2026  
 
CURRENT CONDITIONS/TONIGHT:  
 
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IS EXITING THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON WITH  
WINDS GRADUALLY TURNING TO OUT OF THE SOUTH. ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WITH A  
WEAK SURFACE LOW OVER WESTERN ND WILL SEE INCREASING CLOUDS THROUGH  
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. BROAD 700MB WARM AIR ADVECTION  
MOVES IN FROM THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON WITH A SUBTLE SHORTWAVE ALOFT  
TO INTRODUCE SOME LIGHT RAIN ACROSS THE REGION. THESE FEATURES CAN  
CURRENTLY BE SEEN OVER CENTRAL ND WITH WEAK RADAR ECHOES PRESENT  
ACROSS THE AREA. THE LACK OF A GOOD MOISTURE SOURCE AND OVERALL WEAK  
FORCING WILL KEEP RAIN AMOUNTS ON THE LOW SIDE, GENERALLY LESS  
THAN 0.10" MINIMAL INSTABILITY AND ABYSMAL LAPSE RATES WILL  
LIKELY NEGATE ANY THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. THE INCREASED CLOUD  
COVER TONIGHT WITH THE ADDITIONAL WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL KEEP  
LOW TEMPS ABOVE 40F AND ELIMINATE ANY FROST CHANCES.  
ADDITIONALLY, LATEST GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT SOME CLOUD COVER  
COULD BRIEFLY DISPERSE AFTER THE RAIN EXITS IN THE EARLY MORNING  
HOURS LEADING TO A SMALL WINDOW FOR AREAS OF FOG DEVELOPING.  
 
THURSDAY/FRIDAY:  
 
ANOTHER BRIEF QUIET SPAN ON THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE TRAVERSES  
ACROSS THE AREA. EXPECT SIMILAR TEMPERATURES WITH HIGHS IN NORTHERN  
MN IN THE UPPER 60S AND SOME LOW TO MID 70S FROM THE BRAINERD LAKES  
INTO NW WI.  
 
FRIDAY MORNING SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RETREATS TO ONTARIO AS A  
SURFACE LOW MOVES ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THE 12Z DETERMINISTIC  
GUIDANCE IS HIGHLIGHTING A TIGHT BAROCLINIC ZONE SETTING UP AS THE  
WARM FRONT MOVES ACROSS SOUTHERN MN INTO CENTRAL WI. THIS  
CORRIDOR WILL FEATURE A STRONG 850MB FGEN BAND AND WILL PROMOTE  
HEAVY RAINFALL. OVERALL TRACK OF THE SYSTEM STILL HAS SOME  
INCONSISTENCY RUN TO RUN BUT THE AXIS OF HEAVIEST RAIN CONTINUES  
TO REMAIN SOUTH OF OUR CWA. OUR SOUTHERN TIER OF COUNTIES  
SHOULD STILL SEE SOME DECENT RAIN TOTALS BEING ON THE NORTHERN  
END OF THE PRECIPITATION SHIELD BUT WE WILL LIKELY SEE A SHARP  
GRADIENT IN RAIN TOTALS AS THE INFLUENCE OF THE DEPARTING HIGH  
PRESSURE WILL BE INTERJECTING DRY AIR IN THE LOW LEVELS. WE  
TRIMMED BACK THE NORTHERN PRECIPITATION TOTALS AND HAVE NUDGED  
THE OVERALL SOLUTION CLOSER TO THE LREF WHICH HAS A 50-60%  
CHANCE OF 1" OR MORE ACROSS BURNETT INTO PRICE.  
 
WEEKEND:  
 
FRIDAY'S SYSTEM WILL BE EXITING TO THE EAST SATURDAY MORNING WITH  
SOME LINGERING RAIN ACROSS NW WI. THIS ACTIVITY WILL CLEAR UP BY MID  
DAY WITH HIGH PRESSURE MOVING INTO MANITOBA AND NORTHEASTERLY WINDS  
STREAMING BACK INTO THE NORTHLAND. QUIET WEATHER FOR THE REMAINDER  
OF THE WEEKEND AS THE HIGH MOVES INTO ONTARIO. HIGHS WILL IN THE MID  
60S WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 40S.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1250 AM CDT THU SEP 17 2026  
 
AN AREA OF LIGHT RAIN WHICH MOVED THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA  
WEDNESDAY EVENING IS SLOWLY EXITING OUT OF THE AREA TO THE EAST.  
CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN PREDOMINANTLY VFR SO FAR, BUT NOW CLEARING  
SKIES ARE WORKING IN FROM THE WEST AND FOG IS LIKELY TO DEVELOP  
THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. VISIBILITIES MAY DROP TO MVFR OR  
IFR CATEGORY UNTIL 12Z. EASTERLY FLOW OFF LAKE SUPERIOR HAS  
PRODUCED STRATUS AROUND THE TWIN PORTS AND HAS SLID UP THE HILL  
TO KDLH, BRINGING LIFR/VLIFR CONDITIONS. THIS STRATUS SHOULD  
CONTINUE UNTIL THURSDAY MORNING WHEN A SLIGHT CHANGE IN WIND  
SPEED AND DIRECTION SHOULD ALLOW THOSE CLOUDS TO DISSIPATE. FOG  
WILL NOT LINGER LONG WITH THE FORECAST QUICKLY RETURNING TO VFR  
CONDITIONS BY MID MORNING. CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN VFR THROUGH  
THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD WITH NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS LESS  
THAN 10KTS.  
 
 
   
MARINE /FOR NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR/  
 
ISSUED AT 257 PM CDT WED SEP 16 2026  
 
NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS OF 5 TO 10 KNOTS ACROSS WESTERN LAKE  
SUPERIOR. THESE WINDS WILL WEAKEN AND TURN TO OUT OF THE WEST AND  
SOUTHWEST TOMORROW. HAZARDS WINDS TO SMALL VESSELS RETURN FRIDAY OUT  
OF THE EAST WITH RAIN SPREADING OVER THE LAKE AS WELL.  
 
FOR THE OPEN WATER DISCUSSION, REFER TO THE NWS MARQUETTE AREA  
FORECAST DISCUSSION AT WEATHER.GOV/MQT.  
 
 
   
FIRE WEATHER  
 
ISSUED AT 257 PM CDT WED SEP 16 2026  
 
NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. MIN RHS THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD REMAIN  
ABOVE 35% WITH HIGHS IN THE 60S AND LOW 70S. SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN  
ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TOTALS WILL BE LESS  
THAN 0.10". MORE RAIN CHANCES WILL ARRIVE EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AND  
LINGER INTO SATURDAY MORNING. THE HEAVIEST RAIN STILL LOOKS TO  
REMAIN TO OUR SOUTH BUT WE DO HAVE A 50-60% CHANCE OF SEEING 1" OF  
RAIN FROM BURNETT INTO PRICE. TOTALS TAPER OFF AS YOU HEAD NORTH AND  
THERE WILL LIKELY BE A SHARP GRADIENT AS DRY AIR FROM CANADA  
UNDERCUTS SOME OF THE RAIN TOTALS.  
 
SEE THE FIRE WEATHER FORECAST PRODUCT FOR A MORE THOROUGH  
BREAKDOWN OF FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.  
 
 
   
DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
MN...NONE.  
WI...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...BRITT  
AVIATION...LE  
MARINE...BRITT  
FIRE WEATHER...BRITT  
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