Updated: Slow-moving storm to hit Northland

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The Twin Ports can expect 3-11 inches of snow by the time a slow-moving low pressure system moves out of the area Tuesday.

The bulk of the snow is expected today in the Twin Ports and along the South Shore as lake-effect snow takes hold, according to the National Weather Service in Duluth. By 7 a.m. today, 1.7 inches had fallen at the NWS's Duluth office.

Winds will pick up today, coming from the northeast at 10 to 15 mph with gusts near 20 mph near Lake Superior but less in higher elevations, said Steve Gohde of the weather service.

The system’s lake-effect snow began falling Sunday morning along the North Shore and is expected to dump 6-10 inches of snow by 6 p.m. today from Two Harbors to Grand Portage. A trained weather spotter reported this morning that Finland had received 12.0 inches..

That system was expected to shift south along the shore overnight, Gohde said, creating limited visibility today on a snow-covered Minnesota Highway 61.

Higher elevations beyond Duluth will get less snow. Predicted total snowfalls by Tuesday are 1-3 inches on the Iron Range, 3-6 inches in Grand Rapids, 2-5 inches in Hinckley and 1-3 inches in Park Falls, Wis.

The lion’s share of the system’s precipitation will be in southern and west-central Minnesota, where 5-11 inches is expected, including Rochester, Fergus Falls and the Twin Cities. The Brainerd lakes area should see 4-8 inches, according to the weather service.

Tags: news, weather, snow