Winter weather advisory in effect for Brainerd area

BRAINERD — A winter weather advisory is in effect for Cass, Crow Wing, Todd and Wadena counties until noon Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Rain in the forecast Tuesday, expected to be between a tenth and quarter inch of new precipitation, should switch over to a mix of rain and snow and then all snow Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service in Duluth reported.

A total of 1-3 inches of snow is possible Wednesday along with wind gusts up to 45 mph. The weather service warned motorists to plan on slippery road conditions.

Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility, the weather service reported in its advisory, and the hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning commute.

Another concern is the snow will be wet and heavy, coating trees and powerlines and, with the strong wind gusts, leading to isolated power outages.

“The main thing is going to be rain transitioning over to snow,” said Krystal Kossen, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth. “It’ll start off with rain (Tuesday), then switch over to snow overnight (Tuesday into Wednesday). Then once the snow starts to wind down, that’s when we will see the blowing snow as strong northwest winds follow behind the system.

“It’ll be slushy and icy. It’s going to be a little gross.”

Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management Director John Bowen said the sheriff’s office and the county highway department are monitoring the situation.

The most snow is expected to be in the northwest part of the state, where blizzard warnings are already in effect in several counties. But where that main band of snow will set up is still uncertain, Kossan said.

After spring-like weather in the Brainerd lakes area for the past two weeks, temperatures will be dropping back below freezing — at least for a couple days.

The National Weather Service in Duluth’s forecast for Brainerd:

Wednesday: A 50% chance of snow before noon. Patchy blowing snow before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 12 degrees by 10 a.m. Windy, with a northwest wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 3 degrees below zero. Blustery, with a northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 14 degrees. North wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 9 degrees below zero. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 24 degrees. Breezy, with a south wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

Friday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16 degrees. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 33 degrees. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17 degrees. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest after midnight.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 34 degrees. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19 degrees. West wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

MATT ERICKSON, Editor, may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5857.