No joke: April rolls in with possible winter storms

By Matt Erickson

March 28, 2023 at 11:55 AM

BRAINERD — If only it were an April Fools’ Day joke.

The National Weather Service in Duluth Tuesday, March 28, reported a possible winter storm for northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin Friday into Saturday — April Fools’ Day.

Looking at the latest guidance from this morning, it’s still looking kind of like a glancing blow for Brainerd.

Jonathan Wolfe, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth.

Though the storm track is still uncertain, there is a chance for 6 or more inches of snow in some areas in the Great Lakes region, specifically far eastern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. Brainerd, however, probably won’t get too much snow from the system.

“Looking at the latest guidance from this morning, it’s still looking kind of like a glancing blow for Brainerd,” said Jonathan Wolfe, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth. “It’s most likely going to be under 2 inches for Brainerd from this storm.

“It’s not a completely done deal, but there definitely looks like there’s going to be a storm in the area, it’s just a matter of where it’s going to track. That’s always the No. 1 thing to keep an eye on.”

As of Tuesday, March 22, Brainerd has received 79.6 inches of snowfall, which ranks as the second most snowfall on record for the city since 1948, according to data from the National Weather Service in Duluth. Brainerd currently is just behind the record of 80.6 inches set in the 1996-97 winter season.

Most of the impact from the system for Brainerd will be Thursday and Friday, with snowfall accompanied by high winds with gusts up to 35-40 mph, Wolfe said. The weather service advised motorists to plan for possible difficult winter driving conditions.

And Brainerd will not be in the clear next week either, Wolfe said, as another active winter storm pattern is expected. With warmer temperatures, Wolfe said that system could feature more of a wintery mix of rain and snow.

Not the news residents of northern Minnesota want to hear, Wolfe said, but the reality is it is still the winter weather season.

“It’s still March,” Wolfe said. “If it was May, I might start to complain.”

The large amount of snow and the heavy snowpack has increased the spring flooding potential across northern Minnesota to above normal, the weather service reported, with increased risk for moderate to potentially major flooding on the Mississippi River at Aitkin and Fort Ripley.

Forecast for the Brainerd lakes area

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 25 degrees. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 1 degree below zero. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday: A 40% chance of snow after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 33 degrees. South wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Thursday night: A chance of snow before 4 a.m., then a slight chance of freezing rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23 degrees. Blustery, with an east wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday: A slight chance of rain or freezing rain before 7 a.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., then a chance of snow after 1 p.m. Patchy blowing snow between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 36 degrees. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Friday night: A slight chance of snow before 1 a.m. Patchy blowing snow between midnight and 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 11 degrees. Blustery, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 35 degrees. Breezy, with a north wind 10 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 19 degrees. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday: A slight chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 45 degrees. Breezy, with a southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday night: A slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25 degrees. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Monday: A slight chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 41 degrees. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

MATT ERICKSON, Editor, may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5857.

By Matt Erickson

Matt Erickson joined the Brainerd Dispatch in 2000 as a reporter, covering crime and courts and the city of Brainerd. In 2012 he was promoted to night editor and in 2014 was promoted to editor of the newspaper.

No joke: April rolls in with possible winter storms

Though the storm track is still uncertain, there is a chance for 6 or more inches of snow in some areas in the Great Lakes region.

Forecast for the Brainerd lakes area