Ski Report

Lutsen Mountains Snow Report

Iowa, United States Tofte
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As of 2022-11-21
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Lutsen Mountains -- Iowa ski resort
Lutsen Mountains Iowa · Tofte
About this resort

Lutsen Mountains

Lutsen Mountains is a ski resort in Minnesota featuring 95 runs spread across four interconnected mountains. The resort has a few signature runs like the Double Black Diamond Moose Mountain and the scenic, wide runs of Eagle Mountain. Few people know that Lutsen's longest run, "The Big Daddy," is over 5km long. For beginners, a good starting point is the 1.5 km run of "Bridge Run," where they can take in views of Lake Superior. The resort's bar called Papa Charlie's is a popular apres ski spot, serving drinks and live music.

Terrain mix: The main mountain range at Lutsen Mountains ski resort in Minnesota is the Sawtooth Mountains. The resort features four main mountains: Eagle Mountain, Moose Mountain, Mystery Mountain, and Ullr Mountain. These mountains provide a variety of terrain for skiers and snowboarders, including groomed runs, tree runs, and challenging black diamond slopes. Additionally, Lutsen Mountains has the highest vertical drop in the Midwest at 825 feet.

StateIowa
LocationTofte
Base elevation1,089 ft
Summit elevation1,913 ft
Skiable acreage1,000 acres
Lifts10
Runs92
Longest run10,558 ft
Opened1948
Terrain parkYes
Night skiingNo
Detailed forecast

Plan your day down to the hour

Same weather feed Snoflo's iOS app uses -- updated continuously from NOAA / yr.no. Watch the snow column the morning of a storm to know when to call in sick.

Hourly detail

Next 5 days, hour by hour

Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.

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Deep dive

5-day forecast table

Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.

TimeConditionTemp (°F)Snow (in)Rain (in)Humidity (%)Wind (mps)Wind dir
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Long-term outlook

15-day temperature & snow

Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks -- start of next storm cycle, end of last one.

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Forecast discussion

What forecasters are seeing

Plain-English forecast narrative from the local NWS office. Issued by NWS DVN.

028 FXUS63 KDVN 020543 AFDDVN Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL 1243 AM CDT Sun Aug 2 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Seasonal temperatures and dry conditions expected through Tuesday morning with comfortable humidity levels. - A more active pattern takes shape during the middle of the work week, introducing chances (50-80%) for scattered showers and storms, as temperatures and humidity slowly increase. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... Issued at 1243 AM CDT Sun Aug 2 2026 Sandwiched between a ridge over the Northern Plains and a trough over the Ohio River Valley, much of the area will be dry and partly cloudy today with the winds dying down after a windy Saturday as an elongated high pressure shifts into Iowa. Highs are forecasted to be a few degrees below normal for the beginning of August, in the upper 70s to low 80s. Subsiding winds heading into Sunday night should support radiational cooling, with lows dropping into the mid-50s to low 60s. Monday appears to be a rinse-and-repeat of Sunday with temperatures 1-2 degrees on the warmer side. The ridge shifts over the CWA as the next shortwave trough swings across the Northern Rockies. A developing low pressure system over Manitoba and its associated cold front moving across the Northern Plains is expected to nudge the high pressure eastward over the area and shift our winds back to southerly. This will set the stage for PoPs and muggy humidity to return to the area by the middle of next week. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... Issued at 1243 AM CDT Sun Aug 2 2026 Tuesday-Thursday...Despite the shortwave trough lifting into Canada, another shortwave rotates into the base of the longwave trough over the Northern Plains and Rockies, keeping the cold front propagating into Iowa. Diffluent flow aloft and surface convergence will support scattered to numerous showers and storms (50-80% coverage) along the front where the main axis of moisture will be present. Severe threat with these storms should be limited due to the displacement of the trough to the northwest. There is only a 20-30% chance of SBCAPE exceeding 500 J/kg and at least 25 knots of sfc-to-500 mb bulk shear per the 02.12z LREF run. By Wednesday, the cold front is forecasted to clear most of the CWA with it stalling south of Highway 34. A new low pressure system near the Oklahoma-Kansas border could provide some low- level isentropic upglide and mid-level F-gen just north of this baroclinic zone. PoPs will remain elevated on Wednesday around 50-70%. The longwave trough finally reaches Upper Mississippi River Valley on Thursday, pulling the low pressure over the Southern Plains northeastward through Illinois. PoPs (30-50%) should be limited to along and east of the Mississippi River as a high pressure sits over northern Iowa. Friday-Saturday...The high pressure over northern Iowa shifts over our CWA on Friday, likely keeping the area dry (70-90%). As northwesterly flow returns aloft, the door is open for quick shortwave trough passages which could bring bursts of precipitation into next weekend. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/... Issued at 1243 AM CDT Sun Aug 2 2026 A BKN stratus deck is forecasted to develop over southern Wisconsin tonight and move southwestward into the area between 12 UTC and 17 UTC. This deck will likely (60-90%) impact DBQ and MLI with ceilings between 800 and 1500 feet before scattering out and lifting, providing a few hours of MVFR to IFR conditions. Outside this window, VFR conditions are expected for all sites for the next 24 hours with winds mainly out of the north to northeast at 5-10 knots. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...None. IL...None. MO...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...Delaune LONG TERM...Delaune AVIATION...Delaune

Mountain & avalanche safety

Know before you go
Check today's avalanche bulletin from the regional avalanche center before any off-piste / side-country / backcountry travel. Conditions can shift dramatically between morning and afternoon on storm days.
Carry the gear, know how to use it
Beacon, shovel, probe. Practice companion rescue on a calm day, not during a real burial.
Mind the weather window
Heavy snow + wind builds wind slabs at ridgelines. The day after a storm is often the riskiest in the backcountry, even if the resort itself is open.
Respect closed terrain
Ropes are there for a reason. Even in-bounds, ducking a closure can trigger a slide that catches you and others below.

Track Lutsen Mountains in the Snoflo app

Save this resort as a favorite, set push alerts when snowfall crosses a threshold (e.g. "alert me when Lutsen Mountains reports 6″ new"), and Snoflo's iOS app will push the moment the SNOTEL station crosses.

FAQ

About Lutsen Mountains

Where does the snow data for Lutsen Mountains come from?

Snowpack, SWE, 24-hour snowfall, and air temperature come from the nearest USDA NRCS SNOTEL station. Forecast comes from the National Weather Service / yr.no feed that Snoflo's iOS app uses.

How often is the snow report updated?

Snowpack and SNOTEL data are updated continuously by NRCS (typically hourly). The 15-day weather forecast is refreshed throughout the day. Snoflo caches and renders the most recent observation -- look for the "as of" timestamp on the snowpack hero.

What's the elevation at Lutsen Mountains?

See the Resort Metrics panel above for base / summit / vertical drop. The summit elevation drives snowpack accumulation -- higher summits hold snow longer through spring.

How is "% of normal" calculated?

Today's snowpack is compared to the average snowpack on this calendar day across every recorded year at the nearest SNOTEL. 100% means right on average; 130% is a big year; 60% is thin.

What ski resorts are near Lutsen Mountains?

See the Other Ski Areas pill grid at the bottom of the page for resorts within driving distance. The sister Other Ski Areas card in the Plan-a-longer-trip grid above shows the closest few.

Can I get alerts when fresh snow hits?

Yes -- snow alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this resort, set a snowfall threshold (e.g. "alert me when 6+ inches"), and you'll get a push the moment the SNOTEL crosses.

More ski areas

Other resorts near here

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