Full-force winter in Duluth, lighter snow in the Twin Cities overnight

Winds howling down the length of Lake Superior combined with falling snow are creating white-out conditions along the north shore as well as the south shore of the lake.

A winter storm warning remains in effect Thursday night for the area highlighted in pink. Gale warnings are in effect for Lake Superior. Winter weather advisories are shown in blue for lighter amounts of snow overnight.

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Central Minnesota is covered by a winter weather advisory for an additional inch or two overnight into Friday morning.

The National Weather Service is monitoring the flood threat in Eau Claire, Wis., and issued this statement this morning.

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR

THE EAU CLAIRE RIVER NEAR FALL CREEK .

* UNTIL LATE FRIDAY NIGHT.

THE RIVER HAS CRESTED. THE FORECAST IS STARTING

AT THE MAXIMUM VALUE OF 12.4 FEET...AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO

FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE FRIDAY MORNING.

Gale force winds battered Duluth Harbor today.

Winds gusted to over 50 mph in Duluth this morning, but are expected to slowly subside overnight.

This forecast from the NWS Duluth regional forecast model indicates wind gusts, in knots at midnight tonight.

Source:NWS Duluth, MN

Each long barb is 10 knots or approximately 12 mph. Shorter barbs are 5 knots.

Snowfall totals were over 10 inches in some parts of southwest and west central Minnesota in the past 24 hours. Eleven inches accumulated in Vesta, Minn.

Checkout snowfall totals on this interactive link.

Now about the drought: A dent in the precipitation deficit is made with much welcome moisture in southern Minnesota.

There is more progress to be made, and the pattern continues to favor wetness for the region with the highest moisture deficit since late summer.

The surface low that was elongated from Des Moines, Iowa to Springfield, Ill., Thursday morning will consolidate and is forecast to move to Lake Huron on Friday.

This image shows the surface temperatures and winds at 1 p.m. CDT Friday

Source:NOAA/College of Dupage

More precipitation is being depicted on the forecast models for Saturday night and Sunday as a push of milder air rides over the snow cover of southern and central Minnesota.

A moderation in temperatures, which resemble spring, does not appear in the short term forecast. The normal maximum temperature in the Twin Cities for April 16 is 58 F.

Maximum temperatures on Tuesday, April 16.

Wish I had better weather news. The cold and wet pattern shows little signs of changing in the next ten days.

Craig Edwards