The first snowstorm of the season could have residents of northern Minnesota reaching for their shovels and public works crews sending out the plows.

Two to 5 inches of snow could fall Saturday across the Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota and in an swath from Bemidji to Hibbing and the Canadian border, according to the National Weather Service.

"Isolated higher amounts are possible along the North Shore," the weather service said.

Lighter amounts of snow are forecast across northwestern Minnesota as a system pushes into the state overnight and moves east during the day Saturday. Up to 2 inches could pile up in an area stretching from Brainerd to Duluth, and up to 1 inch is possible in northwestern Wisconsin, the weather service said.

"Snow accumulations on roadways will likely cause traffic issues," the weather service warned. "Snowfall will be wet and heavy, with a high water content, making it more difficult to shovel."

A band of flurries moved through parts of the Twin Cities on Friday morning, dropping large flakes on lawns and highway medians and coating roof tops. But no accumulation was expected in the metro area.

A few more flurries may mix in early Saturday morning as a system moves across the region Friday night into Saturday, the weather service said.

The wintry taste comes as the weather service released its 90-day outlook covering December through February. That outlook calls for temperatures across Minnesota to be at or slightly below normal during the three-month period, and favors the chances for above-normal precipitation.

In the short term, after rain and snow showers move out of the metro Saturday morning, temperatures are expected to rise into the middle to upper 50s. But cold weather will continue into next week with highs in the low to middle 40s Sunday through Tuesday, warming slightly to nearly 50 degrees by later in the week, the weather service said.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768