As we continue to shiver and freeze across the state with temperatures struggling to keep in the single digits above zero, we are monitoring the next system set to impact the area Monday night and into Sunday. A broad area of arctic high pressure, currently sitting over Kansas, is expected to continue building into the region with a quick-moving shortwave set to near the area by Monday night. Snow is expected to begin moving into the region Monday afternoon with a 200-300 mile wide band of snow, with a 50-100 mile wide intense band of heavier snow. Models have still been chipping out the placement of this wave and where the heavier snow is going to fall, however have become more consistent as of late with the most snow falling across the northeast half of the state.

Here’s how the day is expected to pan out on Monday. Snow should begin moving into the western half of the state in the early to mid afternoon from approximately 1 to 3 PM and continue trekking into central Iowa later in the afternoon and eventually into the eastern half of the state in the evening. The highest accumulations (7-9″) with this system should be in the northeast half of the coverage area, with an exception for the far northeast (in areas like Decorah and La Crosse). The cutoff line will be pretty violent with this system with snow tapering off quickly from northeast to southwest. The metro can expect 5-7″ with the Quad Cities being in the heavier mix with 7-9″ expected. Those in Omaha and surrounding areas to the southeast can expect 1-2″ with lighter amounts to the southwest. A plethora of Winter Storm/Winter Weather alerts are in effect for Monday and Tuesday (as seen above) due to this.

Another concern is the winds on Monday night and Tuesday morning. By noon Tuesday, winds are expected to pickup to 10-20 MPH with gusts to 30 MPH possible. This will create hazardous travel with reduced visibilities. With snow ratios being nearly 20:1, any snow that falls is expected to be light and powdery, which can be easily blown around, even after the snow stops falling (as it won’t be packed in). This will lead to issues with school delays, cancellations, or even early outs with bad road conditions. Blowing and drifting snow will likely be an issue all day Tuesday. You should keep it tuned to the Iowa Weather Network for the latest on this situation all day tomorrow.