2012 is going to ring in with a bit of snow across the northern counties of the state. The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a Winter Weather Advisory effective at 6pm this evening until 3am Sunday for the following counties, Emmet, Kossuth, Winnebago, Worth, Palo Alto, Hancock, Cerro Gordo, Pocahontas, Humboldt, Wright, Franklin, Butler, Bremer, Sac, Calhoun, Webster, Hamilton, Hardin, Grundy, Crawford and Carroll.

TIMING…RAIN WILL MIX WITH AND CHANGE TO SNOW AFTER 6 PM WEST OF INTERSTATE 35 AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 35 AFTER 9 PM THIS EVENING.

STORM TOTAL SNOW/ICE ACCUMULATIONS…UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW WILL FALL ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTHERN IOWA BY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.

WINDS/VISIBILITY…WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 45 TO 55 MPH OVERNIGHT AND ON SUNDAY…CAUSING SOME BLOWING OF SNOW AND POSSIBLY A PERIOD OF LOW VISIBILITY FROM MID TO LATE EVENING TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. VISIBILITY MAY BRIEFLY DROP BELOW ONE HALF MILE DURING ANY HEAVIER SNOWFALL.

IMPACTS…ROADS ARE LIKELY TO BECOME SLICK AS TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING AND SNOW THAT DOES BLOW FREEZES ONTO THE ROAD SURFACES. DRIVERS AND HOLIDAY TRAVELERS SHOULD EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.

UPDATE: Dickinson, Clay and Buena Vista counties have been added to the Winter Weather Advisory from 4pm this afternoon until Midnight.
UPDATE 2: The National Weather Service in LaCrosse has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Mitchell, Howard, Winneshiek, Floyd and Chickasaw counties from 9pm tonight until 6am Sunday Morning