Duluth, MN – Travel across northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin will turn hazardous by 6 p.m. tonight as heavy snow and wind gusts up to 55 mph create near-whiteout conditions along the Lake Superior shoreline.
According to the National Weather Service in Duluth, Winter Storm Warnings stretch from International Falls and Ely south to Duluth and east into Bayfield and Douglas counties in Wisconsin. Snow totals of 6 to 9 inches are expected in Koochiching, northern St. Louis and Itasca counties through midnight Wednesday night. Along the North Shore and higher terrain of Cook and Lake counties, 15 to 20 inches could pile up by noon Thursday, with gusts up to 50 mph.
In Duluth, Hibbing and surrounding areas, 4 to 8 inches are likely, with 8 to 12 inches northeast of Duluth’s higher elevations. Strong east winds off Lake Superior may knock down tree limbs and power lines, especially Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Bayfield, Superior and the Apostle Islands will see 5 to 8 inches in northern sections, plus a light glaze of ice that could coat untreated roads.
Drivers should avoid non-essential travel, check 511 road reports and prepare for possible outages. The heaviest snow and strongest winds will overlap late tonight into Wednesday morning before gradually easing Thursday afternoon.
