Weather Story

Scattered Storms Tuesday, A Few Severe

Northland 4 Day Forecast

Northland Drought Update - Extreme Drought NW WI

Int. Falls Paid Snow Observer Needed

A few rounds of scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast tonight through Wednesday. Some locations will not see any precipitation from these storms. A cold front will progress eastward across the Northland Tuesday. Storms will redevelop along the front during the afternoon and evening, some of which may be strong to severe. Wednesday will bring isolated to scattered showers as upper-level low pressure loiters in the wake of the cold front. The table on the right side of the image is sorted from west to east to convey the progression of storm chances across the Northland. While the chance of scattered storms is as high as 70% for portions of the Canadian border, the chance of severe storms is only a Level 1 out of 5 (Marginal Risk).
Severe Weather Hazards:

Hail up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size)
Damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph.
A few tornadoes cannot be ruled out.
Peak Severe Storm Timing: 3 PM to 9 PM CDT Tuesday.

Stay tuned for further updates as the forecast evolves.

This workweek will start off dry, although precipitation chances will be increasing later today as low pressure moves towards the Northland. Chances for showers and thunderstorms remain in the forecast late today through Wednesday. A few storms on Tuesday may become strong to severe. High temps will generally be in the 70s for much of the workweek, with southerly winds shifting to the northwest on Wednesday morning following a cold front. High pressure builds on Thursday, bringing in more sunshine and lighter winds.

All of the Northland is experiencing Moderate (D1) to Extreme (D3) Drought conditions with the Drought Monitor update this week. This is the first time Extreme (D3) Drought conditions have been in the Northland since October 2023.

Did you know that the record of official snowfall observations in International Falls goes back to the early 1900s? NWS Duluth is looking for someone who is interested in helping continue that record as a paid snowfall observer this winter! This is a unique opportunity as there are only a handful of paid observers in the country, put in place to guarantee the continuity of the data record. This paid observer can be anyone in International Falls. Payment is a base pay of $125 a month, plus $4 for every observation submitted for the period from October 1 to April 30. A 6am morning observation is required every day, and 6 hourly observations are needed if there is new snowfall. Contact NWS Duluth at nws.duluth@noaa.gov or the Observation Program Leader Steve Gohde at steve.gohde@noaa.gov if you are interested. Additional information: The NWS in Duluth will provide the observer with all needed equipment including a standard 8 inch rain gauge, measuring sticks, and snowboards. If there is no new snowfall, the only observation needed is one at 6am, to report zero precipitation/snowfall and current snow depth (the depth of snowpack currently on the ground). If there is new snow, a 6 hourly observation is needed, including precipitation (the melted down liquid water equivalent of any snow/sleet/freezing rain that has fallen), snowfall (new amount of snow that has fallen since the last observation), and snow depth. Once a week on Monday, observers can provide a snow water equivalent (SWE) report, which is a measurement of the amount of liquid water contained within the snowpack on the ground. Training will be provided from NWS Duluth. Each observation, including online entry, generally takes about 5-15 minutes. All observations are submitted via an online platform. If additional observations are needed into May, the observer will still be paid for individual observations, but no monthly base pay is available. Ideally, the observer has a relatively open, undisturbed area where observations can be taken and a rain gauge can be installed.