Winter, it would appear, is taking a nasty little late season swipe at the Brainerd lakes area.
All forms of precipitation are possible Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Duluth-rain, snow and freezing rain are all likely before 8 a.m. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., snow is likely, possibly between 2-4 inches in total, followed by rain, snow and a freezing rain mix into the overnight hours and into Tuesday.
Justin Schultz, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth, said ice accumulations should be light.
"Down by Brainerd there could be freezing rain ... but snow becoming more likely and snowfall totals have been bumped up a little bit," Schultz said. "In the Brainerd area, there could be around 3 inches of snow but we can't rule out 4 inches."
Though little to no ice accumulation is expected, Schultz said travelers are still being advised to drive with caution. He advised motorists to allow extra time to reach their destinations and leave plenty of following distance between their vehicle and the vehicles in front of them.
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"There is concern for some hazardous travel conditions, particularly for the Monday morning commute, as things will be ramping up," he said. "We could have that wintry mix, maybe even freezing rain, so the roads might get a little sloppy.
"And people might not be too tuned into the weather right now, so this might kind of sneak up on folks."
Whether ice or snow, whatever accumulates on the ground Monday and early Tuesday is not expected to stick around too long. High temperatures Tuesday afternoon are forecast at 44 degrees. On Wednesday, a high of 45 degrees is possible, along with a 20 percent chance of snow in the morning and rain into the afternoon.
Looking through the rest of the week, temperatures in the low to mid 30s are expected with slight chances of snow Friday night and Saturday.
