Moisture in its many forms Wednesday morning was coating large swaths of Minnesota, with ice and snow closing schools in and around Duluth, while the Twin Cities absorbed a steady, cold soaking.

Public schools are closed in Duluth, Hermantown, Proctor, Cloquet, Ely and other communities, while the University of Minnesota Duluth is delaying things until 10 a.m.

Portions of Minnesota's Arrowhead have an ice storm in their immediate future, with thickness ranging from one- to three-quarters of an inch, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Lighter amounts of freezing rain, as well as some sleet and light snow, are likely for other parts of northeast Minnesota and stretching into northwestern Wisconsin, the NWS added.

Adding to the annoyance, the weather service's warning noted, "gusty" winds threaten to topple trees, branches and "pose a risk of power outages."

Forecasters are seeing up to 5 inches of snow possible along a line from Walker east to Silver Bay on the Lake Superior shore and on the Iron Range.

A street light illuminates steady rain falling Wednesday in downtown Minneapolis.

The icy precipitation will persist into Wednesday night and early Thursday in northern Minnesota, the NWS said, adding, "Motorists should be prepared for difficult travel conditions to continue today through tonight and early Thursday."

In the Twin Cities area, a chilling rain made for a uncomfortable start to the morning and should persist throughout the day Wednesday. High temperatures are forecast to struggle to crack the 40s, far below the average for late April.

For the rest of the week, according to the weather service, temperatures are expected to stay below normal and possibly dip below freezing Thursday night into Friday in some parts of the metro.

If anyone dares to look to the weekend, the NWS envisions a chance of snow early Sunday. That's April 30, by the way.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482