The Brainerd lakes area may be in for some wintry mix beginning Wednesday night, April 1, and ending Friday night.

The National Weather Service in Duluth reports rain was expected to begin after 10 p.m. Wednesday, with temperatures expected to drop to 39 degrees and winds from southeast around 10 mph with gusts as high as 25 mph. There is an 80% chance of precipitation during the overnight Wednesday into Thursday, with the chance increasing to 90% Thursday night. The high Thursday is expected to be 47 degrees.

Temperatures are expected to drop Thursday during the overnight into Friday, with a low around 27 degrees and an east wind around 5 mph. Rain, freezing rain and possibly sleet and/or snow are possible before 1 p.m. Friday. There is a chance of snow and freezing rain between 1-3 p.m. Friday, then a chance of snow after 3 p.m. The high temperature is forecast to be 31 degrees, with a northwest wind of 5-10 mph and gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday night the system is expected to die down, with a 20% chance of snow before 1 a.m. and a low temperature of 21. Temperatures then are expected to warm up for the upcoming weekend, with a high near 45 Saturday and a high near 52 Sunday.

Flooding update

The flood warning continues for the Mississippi River at Fort Ripley and Aitkin. Continued snowmelt runoff and additional precipitation will result in minor flooring and the river is expected to rise in the upcoming days, the National Weather Service in Duluth reported.

As of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, the river was at 10.2 feet in Fort Ripley, where the flood stage is 10.5 feet. The weather service reports the river may rise above flood stage after midnight Thursday and continue to rise to near 12.4 feet by Monday early afternoon. At 12 feet the boat landing and parking lot at the public access are under water.

In Aitkin, the stage was at 12.8 feet Wednesday morning, just shy of the 13 foot flood stage. The river may rise about flood stage by Wednesday night and continue to rise to near 14.9 feet by Monday early afternoon. At 15 feet, a few homes may become surrounded by water in the Cedarbrook neighborhood near Eagle Road.