A wintery mix of rain, freezing rain and snow is anticipated to move into the Brainerd lakes area Wednesday through Friday, March 18-20.
The National Weather Service of Duluth reports the counties of Crow Wing, Aitkin and Cass and all northeastern Minnesota are in a hazardous weather outlook. A couple rounds of wintry mix precipitation are in the forecast, with the first round to hit Tuesday night into Wednesday, which is expected to be mainly freezing drizzle or snow. The second round, which is expected to be heavier, may begin Thursday into Friday morning. The weather service reports the main concern is icing potential from the freezing rain/drizzle, as well as any snow accumulations, which may lead to slippery road conditions. Brainerd may see about 0.06th of an inch of ice, the NWS reported.
“Uncertainty exists regarding the location of the transition zone from snow to rain,” the weather service reports. “It will most likely be over northeast Minnesota. Also, the icing will depend greatly on surface road temperatures. The impacts from the Thursday and Friday precipitation will vary depending on the track of the system.”
The Brainerd area may see between 1-2 inches of snow by Friday, with higher amounts of 3-4 in northeastern Minnesota, in cities such as Ely and Grand Marais.
Brainerd forecast in detail
Wednesday: Freezing drizzle likely before 10 a.m., with a high near 38 degrees. Southeast wind of 5-10 mph. A 50% chance of rain at night with a low around 29 degrees.
Thursday: A chance of snow and freezing rain before 11 a.m.; a chance of rain and snow between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and then a chance of snow after 3 p.m. The high is expected to be near 36 degrees. Winds are expected to pick up and could gust as high as 25 mph during the day and precipitation is 50%. After the sun goes down, there is a 40% chance of snow, mainly before 1 a.m. There may be patchy blowing snow and temperatures are expected to drop to a low of 9 degrees.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 21 degrees and a low around 2 degrees at night.
The weekend calls for sunny skies, with a high near 29 degrees Saturday and a high near 38 degrees Sunday.
