Extreme cold forecasted for the Arrowhead this weekend

Kirsten Wisniewski | December 12, 2025

Winter has come in fast in Cook County. North Shore residents will experience extremely cold temperatures for the entire coming weekend.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Cold Weather Advisory for the eastern half of Minnesota and across Wisconsin beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday and remaining in effect until Sunday at 10 a.m..

Across the Arrowhead, the NWS is predicting double-digit negative overnight lows beginning Friday night.

In addition to the advisory, the NWS provided a Hazardous Weather Outlook for the weekend, predicting strong winds, gusting as high as 40 mph, and extremely cold wind chills. Between the wind and cold weather, the forecast includes wind chills as low as -35°F. According to the Cold Weather Advisory, “The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 35 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.”

The NWS warns that overnight temperatures and windchills on both Friday and Saturday night could pose danger to those spending time outside.

NWS Meteorologist Ketzel Levens told WTIP that while communities right along the shore might see actual temperatures creep just above zero during the day on Saturday, the windchill will top out around -12° F. For inland residents, she said the forecast is showing highs that remain below zero.

Levens said, “Saturday is going to be absolutely frigid, and Sunday is going to be just slightly warmer than absolutely frigid.”

After the weekend cold snap however, the temperatures are expected to rise dramatically. Levens said, “We will be on a bit of a roller coaster as far as temperatures go.”

She said that the forecast shows that by Tuesday, the North Shore could see temperatures in the low 30s.

While early winter weather can vary, so far, this December is shaping up to be colder than the past five here in Cook County. Based on data collected by the NWS from temperatures recorded in the Bay of Grand Marais, the average daily temperature so far this December has been just 14° F.

The average this year is lower than the temperatures from the same portion of December going back to 2020: