Mother Nature may give folks in the Brainerd lakes area a little reminder in the overnight hours into Saturday, Oct. 17, that winter is on its way.
For the first time in the 2020-21 winter season, there is snow in the forecast. The National Weather Service in Duluth reported the Brainerd area may see up to an inch of snow.
Meteorologist Linda Engebretson with the weather service said Thursday the snow is expected to start about midnight Friday night.
“It’s going to be the sloppy stuff,” Engebretson said. “The kind that mostly accumulates on the grass, but melts everything else.
“It’ll probably not accumulate very much, you know initially but as we keep getting more of it in, we'll probably get more of the wet heavy accumulations in grassy areas in the early morning hours up to about mid-morning and then it’ll switch over to rain and start melting.”
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Engebretson said the ground is still pretty warm so the snow on the grass should melt pretty fast. However, the temperature highs are expected to be between 36-45 degrees over the weekend.
Looking at the upcoming forecast, Brainerd area folks may see sunny skies Friday with a high near 41 — but after that conditions are expected to become breezy and blustery with chances of rain and possibly snow.
Anyone who has outdoor activities planned — such as the Brainerd High School Warrior football game scheduled at 6 p.m. Saturday at St. Cloud’s Apollo High School — may want to dress in layers to stay warm and grab a blanket or two.
Forecast details
Friday, Oct. 16: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Breezy, with a west wind of 10-15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Friday night snow showers are likely, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 60%, with new snow accumulation of less than 1 inch possible.
Saturday: Snow is likely before 11 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow between 11 a.m. and noon, then a chance of rain after noon. Mostly cloudy skies, with a high near 45. It may be breezy, with a southeast wind 5-15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Saturday night there is a chance of rain before 8 p.m., then a slight chance of snow after 2 a.m. It is expected to be mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. The winds are expected to still be strong with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday: A slight chance of snow before 2 p.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow. It is expected to be mostly sunny, with a high near 36. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10-15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%. There is a slight chance of rain and snow before 8 p.m., then a slight chance of snow. Sunday night may be mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. The wind is expected to continue at about 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Monday-Wednesday: There is a slight chance of snow Monday before 1 p.m., then a slight chance of rain and snow for the afternoon. A slight chance of rain and snow is expected Tuesday night and Wednesday. Temperature highs in the forecast may be a high near 38 Monday; 40 degrees Tuesday; and 44 degrees Wednesday.
