Unpack the snow shovel. A passing low pressure system may have the lakes area back to looking like winter with the first significant snowfall in weeks.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Duluth issued a winter weather advisory from 9 a.m until 9 p.m. today. The most intense snowfall is expected late morning through early afternoon, the weather service reported. Motorists are advised they will likely face deteriorating conditions with widespread snow accumulations predicted of 3 inches to 5 inches. Visibility may be reduced to a half mile or less.
The Brainerd lakes area is likely to be on the lighter end of the snowfall, which could drop about 6 inches in northeastern Minnesota and 6-8 inches in Wisconsin with lake-effect snow. The snow is expected to extend to a line just south of St. Cloud.
In the lakes area, Brainerd and Baxter may see 3 to 4 inches of snow with the northern third of the county having the potential to receive 4 inches to 6 inches. If it does fall, it will be the most snow the area has had since before Christmas.
Using NWS reports going back to Dec. 1, this winter has had less than an inch of snow on the ground for 31 days. For the same period last year, there were just two days with a trace of snow and seven basically snowless days the year before that. But go even further back to the winter of 2011-2012 and by this time in the winter and there were already 39 days with an inch or less for a snow depth.
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Kevin Huyck, National Weather Service meteorologist, said while it seems rare to have bare ground this deep into the winter, it's not uncommon.
"Once every five to seven years there are quite a few days without measurable snow on the ground," Huyck said.
The state's lack of snowfall has the nearly the entire state in abnormally dry conditions with the U.S. Drought Monitor. There are few exceptions, but in the region those exceptions include all of Hubbard County and the extreme western edge of Cass County.
After the snow, temperatures are expected to drop. Wednesday night may fall to 9 degrees below zero with a high on Thursday of 9 degrees. But the temperatures are expected to rebound to a high of 21 on Friday. With more hours of daylight and a stronger sun, winter's time is limited.
"The really long stretches of cold, I think we are past that," Huyck said. "But we'll still have some pretty cold nights."
RENEE RICHARDSON, associate editor, may be reached at 855-5852 or renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com . Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Dispatchbizbuzz .
