More snow, below-zero wind chills expected this week

Brainerd lakes area residents can expect more snowfall this week but nothing like last week’s blizzard that howled through the area.

Dangerous wind chills are expected to accompany the additional accumulation, according to Kevin Huyck, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Duluth.

“We haven’t had any reports of snow amounts from the Brainerd area as of today yet, so I can’t say how much has fallen there,” Huyck said Sunday afternoon, Dec. 27. “But as far as wind chills tonight (Sunday), probably around minus 3 to minus 8 for the coldest wind chills overnight.”

Temperatures reached a high of 18 degrees Sunday but felt like 8 degrees, keeping in line with the highs expected for much of the week only in the teens. Wednesday may be the warmest day of the week, achieving a high of 20 degrees. New Year’s Eve calls for a high near 17 degrees, with an overnight low of 2 degrees and a south wind around 5 mph. The first weekend of 2021 appears poised to usher in warmer temperatures, with a high near 27 predicted for Sunday, Jan. 3.

“The temperatures tomorrow look like they’ll be a little bit on the chilly side as well with highs reaching probably into the low to middle teens expected,” Huyck said Sunday. “It’s a little colder than what we would normally expect.”

Huyck said a cold front was headed toward the area on the backside of Sunday’s snowfall, along with more snow early this week.

“Looks like we’ll see another round of some accumulating snow probably in the Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning time period, at least as far as now is concerned, looking at probably around 2 to 5 inches of accumulation in the Brainerd vicinity,” Huyck said.

With potentially slippery roads and dangerous cold, Huyck advised Minnesotans to be prepared for winter survival.

“Make sure that if you’re out traveling in the winter months, you’ve got a survival kit in your car with some drinking water, candles, some kind of food in there, a brightly colored cloth to attach to the exterior of your vehicle if you get stuck so other people will notice you,” Huyck said.

In a wind chill of minus 17 degrees, frostbite can occur on exposed skin in less than 30 minutes, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“Just remember to bundle up when heading outside. Cover your head and hands, dress in layers. That way if you find yourself warm, you can shed a layer. It’s important to make sure that you don’t sweat too much when you’re outside in the winter months because that sweat can lead to hypothermia,” Huyck said.

FRANK LEE may be reached at 218-855-5863 or at frank.lee@brainerddispatch.com . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchFL .

1/2: Accumulating snow expected over the Northland Tuesday afternoon through late Wednesday morning and early Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Duluth.

2/2: Snow will gradually end from northwest to southeast the afternoon and evening of Sunday, Dec. 27, with lake-effect snow over northwest Wisconsin through the overnight. National Weather Service Duluth