Winter is poised to shove 2010 out the door with a one-two punch lasting into the long New Year's weekend.
"If anyone has any travel plans, especially for New Year's Eve, they definitely want to keep their eyes on the weather," said Carol Christenson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth.
Dense fog, drizzle and freezing drizzle were expected overnight, and forecasters were warning of ice buildups of a tenth of an inch by this morning.
The freezing drizzle is expected to change into drizzle as temperatures climb above freezing today, until a cold front pushes into the area. The far western area of the region (around Walker) and far north (around International Falls) will see more freezing drizzle and snow.
"Some six to nine inches of snow are expected in those areas," Christenson said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The changeover from drizzle to snow will happen later in the Duluth area.
"We don't expect a lot of snow here. An inch maybe," Christenson said.
"If you think this is a mess, just wait for round two, coming New Year's Eve," she said. "That's going to be all snow, and it could be a lot of snow. It's something we're watching. We may issue a warning on that once we get this out of the way."
Early indications are that Duluth could receive 5 inches of snow between Friday afternoon and sometime Saturday, with greater amounts farther north.
"It's going to start off as the heavy, wet cement snow," Christenson said.
