A storm system currently sitting over Montana and into the western Dakotas will enter the area later tonight and into Wednesday. Snow is expected to begin falling in the western counties early this morning before overspreading the rest of the state throughout the day. The heaviest snow accumulations (five to seven inches) are expected to be from north of Spencer down through the Ames and Des Moines area and through Ottumwa. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for these areas. Three to five inches can be expected outside of that, including Estherville, Mason City, Waterloo, Burlington, Lamoni, Creston, Sioux City, and through Sioux Falls. Winter Weather Advisories have been posted for these areas. Lighter amounts can be expected elsewhere, with one to three inches outside of that in the northeast and in the far southwest. Our far northeast counties may not receive more than an inch.

As this system sets out, cold temperatures will set back into the area with highs Thursday and Friday barely reaching the teens to even single digits. Eyes then turn for another winter event expected to impact the area this weekend, however uncertainty exists around that and details will likely not be pinpointed down until after this storm.

Stay tuned to the Iowa Weather Network for the latest information throughout this event!