A white Christmas after all in the Northland

• White Christmas probability

Northeastern Minnesota has a high probability of having at least an inch of snow on the ground for Christmas 2011. (News Tribune)
• Sledding family

Ayla Oltmanns (from left), 6, Niklas Oltmanns, 9, and Stacy Oltmanns, all of Duluth, sled down a hill near Concordia Lutheran Church in the Woodland neighborhood of Duluth on Friday afternoon. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com)

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• Snowfall reports from around the Northland

Just in the St. Nick of time, a little Alberta Clipper snowstorm that would hardly be noticed most winters dropped an inch or more of snow across much of the Northland Friday, creating a white Christmas after weeks of little to no snow to cover the ground.

Duluth, Cloquet, International Falls, Moose Lake and several other parts of the Northland received about two inches of new snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Parts of Cook County saw five inches, Snowbank Lake near Ely three inches, Bigfork 2.5 inches and Orr 2.3 inches. Even downtown Duluth got about an inch as did some areas of Northwestern Wisconsin.

There were some slippery spots on roads in the region but police and the Minnesota State Patrol said most accidents were minor.

The new snow finally covered bare ground and assures most of the Northland will have at least an inch on the ground Sunday morning, the minimum amount needed to qualify as an official white Christmas in the eyes of the National Weather Service.

Duluth’s airport on the hill has a 98 percent chance of a white Christmas in any given year, according to the Minnesota Climatology Office, meaning only two of 100 years go without. Northern St. Louis County has a virtual 100-percent chance of having at least an inch of snow. Areas of the Twin Ports right along Lake Superior have a roughly 87 percent chance thanks to the warmer conditions by the open water of the big lake.

The Weather Service says conditions should remain dry and mild for the next several days, with no significant snow and high temperatures in the mid to upper 30s.

Enjoy the snow while you can.

Tags: local, news, weather, minnesota, duluth