Duluth, MN – A powerful winter storm is forecast to hit northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin beginning Tuesday, threatening to disrupt Thanksgiving travel with heavy snow, gusty winds, and hazardous road conditions, according to the National Weather Service in Duluth.
Forecasters say a Winter Storm Watch is in effect from Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning for counties including Cass, Crow Wing, Aitkin, Itasca, and Koochiching, where 3 to 7 inches of snow are possible. The watch extends later into Wednesday evening for areas along the North Shore, Iron Range, and Duluth, with 4 to 9 inches expected and wind gusts up to 35 mph.
In northwestern Wisconsin, including Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, and Iron Counties, totals could climb even higher — between 6 and 12 inches, with localized amounts above 12 inches in parts of northern Iron County.
According to the NWS, travel could become “very difficult to impossible” Tuesday night through Wednesday, with slick bridges, drifting snow, and reduced visibility across key routes like U.S. Highway 2 and I-35.
Motorists planning Thanksgiving travel are urged to monitor updated forecasts and allow extra time for travel delays.
