BRAINERD — The calendar may say spring will be here in less than two weeks, but winter doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon.
Wednesday’s light snowfall is expected to be a harbinger for things to come the rest of this week and into next week.
In it’s hazardous weather outlook, the National Weather Service in Duluth reported that in addition to the 1-3 inches of snow expected to fall in the Brainerd lakes area Wednesday, March 8, another round of light to potentially moderate snow is possible from Thursday afternoon into Friday morning, followed by light to moderate snow is expected Saturday through Sunday into Monday.
“We have several systems on the docket. The one ongoing (Wednesday) is the smallest of the bunch,” said Jonathan Wolfe, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth.
A second system will move through the area Thursday evening into Friday morning, Wolfe said, with 1-3 inches of snow for the Brainerd area. After a short break Friday, another system is expected Saturday and Sunday, which early models show 4-8 inches of snow possible.
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“There’s plenty of snow in our forecast,” Wolfe said. “It’s just been an onslaught.”
For Thursday and into Friday, heavier snow is expected south of Brainerd, with a winter storm watch issued for the southern third of the state, including the areas of St. Cloud and the Twin Cities, with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen forecasting a possibility of 3-5 inches of heavy snow Thursday afternoon into late Thursday night.
For the two-week outlook, Wolfe said temperatures should generally stay below normal — which for Brainerd this time of year is about 35 degrees. As far as more precipitation in the next two weeks, Wolfe said that forecast is still up in the air.
“It is the transition season,” Wolfe said.
Temperatures into early next week should stay relatively mild, with highs in the forecast in the low to mid 30s each day.
The Brainerd area forecast from the National Weather Service in Duluth:
Thursday: Snow likely, mainly after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 35 degrees. Breezy, with an east wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of around an inch is possible.
Thursday night: Snow, mainly before midnight. Low around 21 degrees. Blustery, with a northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch is possible.
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Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33 degrees. East wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Friday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17 degrees. Breezy, with an east wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday: Snow likely, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31 degrees. Breezy, with a southeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Saturday night: Snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23 degrees. Breezy, with a southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Sunday: Snow likely, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35 degrees. Southeast wind around 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
Sunday night: A slight chance of snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19 degrees. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 31 degrees. Blustery, with a north wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 8 degrees. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
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Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 32 degrees. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
MATT ERICKSON, Editor, may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5857.
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