Statewide · 2026-11-05
MN Fish On Conditions — Nov 5–11, 2026 (Thu–Wed)
Source: NWS Twin Cities / NWS Duluth
Public NWS/NOAA cues only. No lake temps claimed.
After a week of rain, the forecaster at NWS Twin Cities wrote that the last of it is getting out of here, and then added “(finally!)” in parentheses. When the government starts using exclamation points, you know it’s been a long week. The storm is moving off over Lake Superior, the sky is staying gray for a bit, and after that it’s a dry, warmer stretch that should run into next week.
Thursday (Nov 5): last drips, gusty, gray
- Rain is over for most of Minnesota. As of the early-morning discussions, light drizzle and fog lingered in eastern and southern MN and western Wisconsin and should end by mid-morning. NWS Duluth expects the North Shore and northwest Wisconsin rain to exit by afternoon.
- Wind: northwest gusts of 20–30 mph in southern and western MN, dying down through late morning. NWS Duluth has north gusts of 20–35 mph up north, strongest this morning.
- Clouds hang on: a new bank of low clouds is sliding south out of northwest MN, so don’t expect sun today. Breaks in the clouds are likely late tonight into Friday.
- Highs: 40s in central and southern MN; upper 30s to mid 40s in the Northland.
- A little snow, Wisconsin side: light lake-effect snow is possible this evening into tonight in the north-central Wisconsin snowbelts. NWS Duluth says up to about an inch is possible in the models, but it’ll most likely be minimal and stick only on grass and elevated surfaces, melting Friday.
Lake Superior (nearshore): one more rough day
- Gale Warning, Grand Portage to Grand Marais (LSZ140): until 6 PM CST today. That’s where the winds are strongest.
- Small Craft Advisories now cover all of western Lake Superior’s nearshore. NWS Duluth expanded them this morning:
- Grand Marais to Silver Bay, Two Harbors to Duluth, and Duluth to Port Wing: until 6 PM CST today.
- Port Wing to Saxon Harbor, Chequamegon Bay area and the outer Apostles: until 6 AM CST Friday, because waves stay up longest there. (The Chequamegon Bay advisory ends at 6 PM today.)
- Friday: winds and waves ease as high pressure builds, with winds turning light and variable.
- Angler read: Superior is a no for small boats today. Friday morning looks like the first calm window in a while, but give the leftover swell on the South Shore and around the Apostles a little time to settle first.
Friday–Wednesday (Nov 6–11): dry and warming up
- Friday: chilly, with highs in the 40s and clouds clearing. Light winds.
- Saturday: starts in the 20s statewide, so expect frosty docks, ramps and boat decks early. It recovers to the upper 40s to mid 50s in the afternoon in central and southern MN. NWS Duluth expects a dry front with more clouds Saturday but little to no rain.
- Sunday: a few degrees warmer.
- Monday into midweek: low 60s to start the work week in central and southern MN, according to NWS Twin Cities, and above normal in the Northland too. NWS Duluth notes that normal highs up there are in the upper 30s to low 40s this time of year, with lows in the 20s.
- Rain: basically none. The NWS Twin Cities and NWS Duluth offices expect a dry pattern through at least early next week, with the storm track staying north of the border.
- No frost or freeze headlines have been issued. Yesterday’s card mentioned MSP’s first 32° morning possibly coming Saturday; today’s NWS Twin Cities discussion just says Saturday starts in the 20s area-wide.
- Fire weather: NWS Duluth says humidity will run drier than it has, but it doesn’t expect it to drop below 35%.
- Angler read: this is the stretch to get out. Sunday through midweek looks dry, mild and fairly calm. After a week of heavy rain, rivers and inflows may run high and dirty for a while, so check local reports before you plan around moving water. We’re not guessing at water levels or fish activity.
Angler cheat sheet (Nov 5–11)
| Cue | Status |
|---|---|
| Today | Rain done for MN; drizzle/fog ending in the east and south; NW gusts 20–35 mph dying down; gray; highs upper 30s–40s |
| Tonight | Light lake-effect snow possible in north-central WI snowbelts, minimal accumulation |
| Superior today | Gale Warning, Grand Portage–Grand Marais, until 6 PM CST; Small Craft Advisories on all western nearshore zones until 6 PM, until 6 AM Fri for Port Wing–Saxon Harbor and the Apostles |
| Superior Fri | Winds light and variable |
| Fri | Chilly, 40s, clearing |
| Sat | 20s to start; upper 40s–mid 50s afternoon south and central; dry front, more clouds up north |
| Sun–Wed | Dry and above normal; low 60s Monday south and central |
| MN land headlines | None (MPX and DLH, early Thursday) |
No lake water temperatures, bite reports, stocking or water-level claims in this digest. We didn’t find solid public numbers for those, so we’re not inventing any. Still uncertain: exactly how cold Saturday morning gets at your spot, when the low clouds clear, and how long rivers stay high after the rain. Check weather.gov before you launch.
Sources: NWS Twin Cities AFD (discussion 237 AM, aviation 514 AM CST Thu Nov 5; no MN or WI headlines); NWS Duluth AFD (discussion, marine and fire weather 205 AM, aviation 530 AM CST Thu Nov 5); api.weather.gov active alerts for Minnesota (no land alerts) and Lake Superior marine alerts (Gale Warning LSZ140 and Small Craft Advisories), checked ~9:20 AM CST. Forecasts change, so check weather.gov before you launch.