An ice storm warning is forecast to go into effect at 9 a.m. Monday and continue through noon Tuesday for the Duluth area, the North Shore and the Iron Range.
"Low pressure is moving fairly quickly northward and is expected to reach Sioux Falls by [tonight]," said Dean Packingham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth. "We have a great deal of moisture lifting northward from the Gulf of Mexico."
There is the potential for up to a half-inch of ice accumulation.
North Shore woes
It's expected to remain cooler near the North Shore as cool air over Lake Superior lifts upward. Packingham said the area with the greatest potential for significant icing is along the higher elevations from Duluth to Grand Portage.
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With more open water, an ice storm could have been avoided, Packingham said. But the wind will be blowing over a solid ice pack.
Gusty winds
East winds of 10 to 20 mph, with gusts to 25 mph, could exacerbate the Northland's woes by adding stress to ice-laden trees and power lines. Travel conditions are forecast to deteriorate this afternoon; if freezing rain begins and you do venture out, be on the lookout for downed branches and power lines.
Elsewhere
Areas to the far south and west of the Twin Ports -- such as Pine City and Brainerd -- are forecast to warm above freezing this afternoon, limiting ice accumulations to a tenth of an inch or less. The Grand Rapids, Ely and International Falls areas, as well as Douglas and Bayfield counties in Wisconsin, are under a freezing rain advisory until 6 a.m. Tuesday, with up to a quarter-inch of ice possible.
What's next
Freezing rain and rain are forecast for tonight, with temperatures remaining around freezing. Tuesday's forecast calls for rain, snow and fog, with a high in the mid-30s.
We'll be on top of the storm all day
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If you still have power, check back to duluthnewstribune.com Monday for updates on the forecast and the effects of the storm. Check out Tuesday's print edition of the News Tribune for more coverage.
