Severe drought (D2) conditions continued over most of the region, with the exception of the Arrowhead counties of Cook and Lake and areas bordering the Canadian border.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS DLH wrote it up.
Severe drought (D2) conditions continued over most of the region, with the exception of the Arrowhead counties of Cook and Lake and areas bordering the Canadian border.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 30, 11:45 PM CST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 1145 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2012 .AVIATION...06Z TAFS IFR CEILINGS CONTINUED LATE THIS EVENING AND VSBYS WERE LOWERING IN FOG...AND SHOULD COME DOWN INTO THE 1-4SM RANGE. WE ADDED SOME FZDZ TO THE KHIB/KINL TAF FROM 09-12Z AS SOME OF THE MODELS...INCLUDING THE HIGH RES VERSIONS...WERE DEPICTING AN AREA OF PRECIPITATION MOVING ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MINNESOTA SOMETIME BETWEEN 08-12Z. AREA RADARS DO SHOW LIGHT RETURNS...LESS THAN 15DBZ...IN EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/WESTERN MINNESOTA. PERSISTENT WAA...STRONGEST AT 850MB CONTINUED. THE 00Z KINL SOUNDING AND FORECAST SOUNDINGS ACROSS NORTHERN MINNESOTA SUGGEST FREEZING RAIN/DRIZZLE WOULD BE THE MAIN PRECIP TYPE DUE TO THE SATURATED AREA BEING MUCH WARMER THAN -10C...AND CLOSER TO -5C. AN AREA OF PRECIPITATION IS ALSO EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ON SATURDAY AHEAD OF A SHORTWAVE/FRONT THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION. WE EXPECT THE BULK OF THIS PRECIPITATION TO BE RAIN SINCE IT SHOULD DEVELOP LATE MORNING OR MORE LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON ONCE BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPS WARM ABOVE FREEZING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 547 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2012/ AVIATION...00Z TAFS IFR OR LOW MVFR CEILINGS WILL COVER THE NORTHLAND THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH WAA OCCURRING. ANOTHER WEAK SHORTWAVE AND COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA SATURDAY. WE EXPECT SOME FOG TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT...BUT MORE SO ON SATURDAY. THERE COULD ALSO BE FREEZING DRIZZLE TONIGHT...BUT IT'S DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT WHICH AREAS WILL GET AFFECTED. SOME OF THE MODELS SUGGEST SOME LAKE/TERRAIN EFFECT PRECIP WILL DEVELOP LATER THIS EVENING LASTING OVERNIGHT. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST CLOUDS WILL CONSIST MAINLY OF SUPERCOOLED DROPS WITH FREEZING DRIZZLE THE MOST LIKELY PRECIP TYPE. LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY DOES SHOW CLOUD TOPS A BIT COLDER THAN THE FORECAST SOUNDINGS...SO A MIX OF FREEZING DRIZZLE OR FLURRIES ARE POSSIBLE. WE LEFT OUT THE MENTION OF ANY PRECIP TONIGHT. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR MAINLY RAIN ON SATURDAY AS TEMPERATURES WARM. IF PRECIPITATION DEVELOPS IN THE MORNING...WHICH IS NOT A GUARANTEE...THEN SOME FREEZING RAIN OR SOME SNOW WOULD BE POSSIBLE. MOST OF THE HIGH RES MODELS SUGGEST THE PRECIP WILL DEVELOP EITHER BY LATE MORNING...OR EARLY AFTERNOON GIVING BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPS A CHANCE TO WARM SOME. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 325 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2012/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT MAIN CONCERN THIS SHORT TERM PERIOD WILL BE CHANCES OF FREEZING DRIZZLE TONIGHT. AREA SOUNDINGS DO SHOW SOME DRYING IN THE MID LEVELS WITH NEAR SATURATION TOWARDS THE SURFACE. ANY FREEZING DRIZZLE THAT DOES OCCUR WILL BE LIGHT. A WEAK WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTHWARD THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. THE WARM AIR OVERRUNNING THE COLDER SURFACE TEMPERATURES WILL LEAD TO AREAS OF FOG TONIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE REACHED EARLY TONIGHT AS TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN STEADY AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS ON SATURDAY WILL MOVE EASTWARD THAT WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS TO MOST OF THE AREA. SOME FREEZING RAIN MAY BE POSSIBLE OVER THE NORTHERN PARTS OF THE ARROWHEAD ON SATURDAY MORNING AS TEMPERATURES WILL BE JUST BELOW FREEZING. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM TO HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40S ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE RAIN WILL MIX WITH SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE ENDING AFTER MIDNIGHT AS LOW TEMPERATURES DROP TO THE UPPER 20S TO MID 30S. LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. IT WILL BE FAIRLY MILD AT THE START OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD AS H85 TEMPS OF +2 TO +6 WILL BE ACROSS THE AREA AS OF 12Z SUNDAY. BY 00Z MONDAY TEMPS AT H85 WILL RISE TO AS MUCH AS +10. SOME OF THIS MAY GO INTO HEATING ALOFT WITH LOW CLOUDS POTENTIALLY TRAPPED BENEATH AN INVERSION. H85 TEMPS WILL RISE TO +12C BY 12Z SUNDAY AND TEMPS WILL LIKELY BE INTO THE 40S FOR MUCH OF THE AREA LATER IN THE WEEKEND AND EARLY IN THE WORK WEEK. THE BEST CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION WILL BE ON MONDAY AND EARLY MONDAY EVENING...FIRST WITH WAA RAINFALL AND THEN WITH STRONG CAA BEHIND THE COLD FRONT THAT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE AREA. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL MOVE IN FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS POLAR AIR IS USHERED INTO THE AREA. NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF PRECIPITATION FOR MIDWEEK...BUT AN APPROACHING SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN OR RAIN/SNOW BACK INTO THE AREA BY THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. STRONG CAA WILL ONCE AGAIN MOVE IN FOR FRIDAY IN A WEEK OF WHAT WILL LIKELY BE A ROLLER COASTER RIDE OF TEMPERATURES. AVIATION.../18Z TAF ISSUANCE/ PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL BE THE MAIN FOCUS FOR THE TAF PERIOD. WE THINK THERE CONTINUE TO BE A POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING DRIZZLE THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. OUR OFFICE HAD FZDZ AS OF NOON AND RADAR WAS SHOWING SOME LOW LEVEL RETURNS OFTEN SEEN WITH FZDZ. OTHERWISE WE ANTICIPATE WIDESPREAD MVFR CIGS/VSBYS GRADUALLY BECOMING MORE IFR OR EVEN LOCALIZED LIFR BY TONIGHT. && .POINT TEMPS/POPS... DLH 29 39 29 38 / 20 50 30 10 INL 29 37 24 37 / 20 40 20 10 BRD 31 41 28 41 / 10 40 10 10 HYR 31 43 30 41 / 10 50 30 10 ASX 30 43 33 40 / 20 40 30 10 && .DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. LS...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM CST SATURDAY FOR LSZ140>142. && AVIATION...MELDE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 822 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2012 MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-011130- KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS-NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE- NORTHERN ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE- SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE-NORTHERN CASS-SOUTHERN ITASCA- SOUTHERN CASS-CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-SOUTHERN AITKIN- CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST. LOUIS-PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-ASHLAND-IRON- BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE- 822 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE IS POSSIBLE IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN TONIGHT. THE FREEZING DRIZZLE MAY CAUSE SOME UNTREATED SURFACES TO BECOME SLIPPERY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY LIGHT FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE OVER THE ARROWHEAD OF MINNESOTA ON SATURDAY MORNING. THE LIGHT FREEZING RAIN COULD CAUSE UNTREATED ROADS...BRIDGES AND SIDEWALKS TO BECOME SLIPPERY AND HAZARDOUS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT. LSZ121-140>148-011130- BAYFIELD TO OAK POINT WI-GRAND PORTAGE TO GRAND MARAIS MN- GRAND MARAIS TO TACONITE HARBOR MN- TACONITE HARBOR TO SILVER BAY HARBOR MN- SILVER BAY HARBOR TO TWO HARBORS MN-TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN- DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND WI- SAND ISLAND TO BAYFIELD WI-OAK POINT TO SAXON HARBOR WI- 822 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AROUND 15 KNOTS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT ACROSS MAINLY THE NORTH SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR...NORTH OF SILVER BAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF THE WIND AND WAVES. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST MARINE FORECAST FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MELDE MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DULUTH (ALL LOWER CASE)
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought conditions persisted over Central St. Louis County.
Drought conditions persisted over Crow Wing County.
Drought conditions persisted over Koochiching County.
Drought conditions persisted over Northern Aitkin County.
Drought conditions persisted over Northern Cass County.
Drought conditions persisted over Northern Itasca County.
Drought conditions persisted over Northern St. Louis County.
Drought conditions persisted over Pine County.
Drought conditions persisted over Southern Aitkin County.
Drought conditions persisted over Southern Cass County.
Drought conditions persisted over Southern Itasca County.
Drought conditions persisted over Southern St. Louis and Carlton Counties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, December 2012
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 424061, 424062, 424063, 424066, 424067, 424068, 424069, 424070, 424071, 424072, 424073, 424074.