Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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We’re watching fire weather conditions for the fire zone in northeast Minnesota this week. 

The Greenwood Fire is now growing from 2,000 acres. Here’s Tuesday’s update from the 

 are also burning in northeast Minnesota.  

The overall meteorological pattern favors persistent southerly wind flow through Friday. South winds between 10 and 20 mph will be common in northeast Minnesota this week. Locally higher gusts can occur in fire zones as wildfires can actually change the local atmosphere and modify local weather conditions. 

One weather factor helping firefighters will be relatively high dew points this week. Dew points in the 60s in the fire zone will keep humidity levels relatively high. 

NOAA’s NAM model output favors dew points in the 60s and southerly winds into Friday. Here’s the loop between 7 p.m. Tuesday and 1 p.m. Wednesday.

High temperatures will reach the upper 80s and low 90s in the fire zone this week.

Overnight low temperatures will favor the lower 60s this week.

Little if any rain is forecast in the fire zones in northeast Minnesota through Thursday. A cold front approaching Friday will bring a chance of scattered rain and thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday. 

A second system may bring another chance for rain by Monday. The European model favors multi-inch rainfall for parts of Minnesota by Monday night. But Tuesday’s moels runs favor less than an inch in the fire zones. That could change, but here’s the latest European model run. 

Weather conditions favor continued fire growth this week. But if the humidity stays high and winds stay manageable, fire crews may be able to make some containment progress.  

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Fire weather favors southerly winds pushing fires northward this week. Warm temperatures continue, dew points in the 60s keep some humidity in the fire zone.

Superior National Forest

U.S. Forest Service

NOAA via tropical tidbits

NOAA

Environment Canada via tropical tidbits

European model (ECMWF) precipitation output

Greenwood Fire weather forecast: Southerly winds, dry weather until Friday night

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