Mother Nature must like white instead of green; snow coming

For those who were hoping the spring-like weather of late was here to stay, here comes a bit of bad news.

A large portion of central Minnesota - including Aitkin, southern Cass, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Morrison and Todd counties - will be in a winter storm watch from Monday night through Tuesday morning.

Sunday's sunny skies and 35-degree temperature belied what was coming Monday. Mike Bettwy, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth, said there's scattered light rain and snow expected Monday afternoon with no significant accumulation.

That will change Monday night, when heavy snowfall is expected. By Tuesday morning Brainerd should have at least 4 inches and as much as 8 inches of snow on the ground, Bettwy said.

"You think winter is over and you get slapped in face like this," Bettwy said. "We haven't had a significant snowfall in quite some time. During the storm there could be a period where the snowfall rate is pretty intense, maybe a inch per hour. That'll lead to some problems."

The winter storm watch includes a large portion of central Minnesota, from Lac Qui Parle County in southwestern Minnesota on a line to Duluth and into northwestern Wisconsin, where the heaviest snowfall is expected. The watch includes the cities of Willmar, St. Cloud and Minneapolis.

Temperatures in Brainerd are forecast to hit a high between 35-40 degrees Monday afternoon, a low of 22-27 degrees Monday night and Tuesday morning and a high between 35-40 degrees Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday and Thursday the forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with high temps of 38-43 degrees.

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