Winter storm taking aim at the Northland

A good, old-fashioned winter storm is taking aim at the Northland, with 6 to 12 inches of snow expected for much of the region starting Sunday.

The National Weather Service in Duluth has issued a winter storm watch for Sunday into Monday for the entire region, with strong easterly winds expected to whip the snow around, covering roads and reducing visibility.

Snow is expected to start in earnest in the Twin Ports by about noon on Sunday, ending by about noon on Monday, with the heaviest snow Sunday evening.

The heaviest snow, upwards of eight inches, is expected to fall from near Brainerd through Duluth up the North Shore, with up to 12 inches possible in higher elevations in that area.

Lesser snowfall amounts are expected to the north and south, with freezing rain possible from southern Pine and Burnett Counties down to the Twin Cities and Eau Claire areas. Northwestern Wisconsin is forecast to see lesser snow totals, from 2-5 inches.

But a slight change in the storm’s track as it approaches from the southwestern U.S. could move that heavy snow line north or south by 50 to 100 miles, said Dan Miller, science and operations manager of the National Weather Service office in Duluth. Miller said driving conditions could still be poor during Monday morning’s commute to work and school, depending on when the heaviest snow diminishes to allow plow crews to do their jobs.

“It’s not a blizzard or anything huge for us. Just a good, old fashioned mid-winter Northland snowstorm,’’ Miller said.

The snow should help push the Northland back toward normal for seasonal snowfall. So far Duluth has received only 40 inches of snow for the season, 16 inches below normal.

Temperatures will remain mild throughout the next week, with above-normal highs in the 20s and lows in the teens, and no below zero temperatures in the forecast.

Blizzard warnings are posted for far western Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas, where higher winds will reduce visibility.

Check back to duluthnewstribune.com for weather updates through the weekend.

Tags: news, weather, snow