statewide · 2026-09-21
mnFISHON Conditions — Sep 21–23, 2026 (Mon–Wed)
Source: NWS Twin Cities / NWS Duluth
Public NWS/NOAA cues only. No lake temps claimed.
Alright Minnesota — the hose weekend clocked out Sunday. Somebody left the southern faucet dripping a little into Monday morning, but the Flood Watch chapter is done and the Canadian high is running the week like it owns the place. This is the post-soak fishing week: cool, drying, a little crispy at night up north, and Superior still throwing elbows at the Twin Ports.
Monday (Sep 21) — leftover drip south, dry everywhere else
NWS Twin Cities AFD (552 AM CDT Mon / discussion 246 AM): rain still hanging in the southwestern corner, struggling to push up to the Minnesota River valley thanks to dry air riding in from the Great Lakes high. PoPs got cut back for most of the CWA — exception is far southern / southwestern Minnesota.
State forecast table (SFTMN, 858 AM CDT Mon):
- Worthington showers today (PoP ~90%), Marshall ~80%, Rochester ~60%, Mankato ~50% — tiny new amounts (Rochester point: less than a tenth).
- MSP / St. Cloud / Brainerd / Duluth / Northland: dry or near-dry (PoP 0–10%). Cloudy to mostly cloudy; highs struggling toward upper 50s (MSP high near 57, Duluth near 57, Rochester near 58).
MPX watches/warnings: NONE. HWO MPX (247 AM CDT): no hazardous weather Day 1 or Days 2–7. The Freeborn / SE MN Flood Watch movie from Friday night? Expired. Don’t drive like the ditches are still auditioning for a rescue show — but don’t invent a watch that isn’t there either.
Tuesday–Wednesday — sunny dry-out, gradual warm-up
This is the chapter anglers actually came for.
- Tuesday: sunny statewide. Highs rebound into the low/mid 60s (MSP ~64, Rochester ~62, Duluth ~59 and still a touch breezy). Light east / east-southeast winds inland; North Shore stays cooler under onshore flow.
- Wednesday: sunny again, highs mid/upper 60s (MSP ~68, Rochester ~66, Duluth ~62) as the Great Lakes high slides east and southerly return flow starts to wake up.
Twin Cities AFD: next real precip shot is late Wednesday into Thursday, best chance western Minnesota, eastward extent uncertain as the feature washes out. Don’t plan your whole week around Thursday rain — guidance still has spread.
Frost / freeze — Northland’s crisp week
Duluth AFD (623 AM CDT Mon / discussion 231 AM): Frost Advisory was in effect early Monday until 8 AM CDT for Koochiching, North St. Louis, and northern Cook/Lake (temps as low as ~33). That advisory has expired by mid-morning.
Look-ahead (AFD + HWO DLH):
- Monday night into Tuesday morning — coldest night of the week. Inland lows 30s; some spots north of the Iron Range may dip below freezing. Widespread frost highly likely; additional frost/freeze headlines likely.
- Tuesday night into Wednesday — another chilly inland night with frost possible again (HWO flags frost potential through Wednesday night for parts of the Northland).
- Twin Cities AFD also flags a possible frost headline for east-central MN / western WI Wednesday morning if skies cooperate — mark that as uncertain, not locked.
Lakeshore communities stay milder (40s) while inland valleys get the full autumn slap. Protect the tomatoes; don’t invent ice on the bay.
Lake Superior (nearshore) — still spicy Mon–Tue
Headlines are still up today — not the weekend gale scare, but not quiet either.
Verified Mon morning (AFD DLH marine + CFW + FZUS53 KDLH 953 AM CDT Mon):
- Small Craft Advisory in effect noon today through 10 PM CDT this evening for western Superior nearshore (LSZ143–148, 150 — Silver Bay–Twin Ports–Apostles corridor). NE/E 10–20 kt, gusts 20–25; Twin Ports waves building 2–4 ft.
- Beach Hazards Statement for Park Point / Wisconsin Point from 10 AM CDT today through this evening — dangerous swimming / high rip-current risk. Stay out of the water; piers and breakwalls are not your friend.
- Duluth point forecast: breezy E 10–15 mph, gusts to 25 today; breezy again Tuesday.
Look-ahead: winds/waves relax overnight Monday, then NE gusts to ~25 kt may rebuild Tuesday afternoon — AFD says another SCA may be needed. HWO DLH: rip-current potential again Tuesday afternoon/evening Twin Ports. Wednesday looks like the last high-rip day in the local media/NWS look-ahead, but treat that as provisional until the next AFD.
North Shore (Grand Portage–Silver Bay) is the calmer cousin today — more like 5–10 kt and 1–2 ft waves. Twin Ports / western arm is where the elbows are.
No Sunday-style ~30% gale language in this morning’s products — that weekend dice already rolled. Monday–Tuesday is SCA / Beach Hazards / breezy NE, not a gale chapter.
Angler-week cheat sheet (Mon–Wed)
| Cue | Status |
|---|---|
| Flood Watches (Freeborn / SE MN) | Expired — MPX HWO clear |
| Mon inland | Cool, cloudy; SW/S leftover showers only |
| Tue–Wed inland | Sunny, dry, highs 60s, light wind |
| Frost Northland | Advisory expired Mon AM; more frost Mon–Wed nights inland |
| Superior Twin Ports | SCA + Beach Hazards today; breezy NE may need another SCA Tue |
| Next rain inland | Late Wed–Thu west, uncertain east |
No lake water temperatures, ice-out, stocking, or bite claims in this digest — we didn’t find solid public numbers for those, so we’re not inventing any.
Sources: NWS Twin Cities AFD (552 AM CDT Mon Sep 21), HWO (247 AM CDT), SFTMN (858 AM CDT); NWS Duluth AFD (623 AM CDT), HWO (359 AM CDT), Coastal Hazard Message / Beach Hazards (242 AM CDT), nearshore marine FZUS53 KDLH (953 AM CDT Mon Sep 21); point forecasts MSP / Duluth / Rochester (morning Mon NWS MapClick, last update ~9–10 AM CDT). Forecasts change — check weather.gov before you launch.