Flakes Here and There, Big Mess Out East – Iowa Weather Network Archives

A FLAKE OF SNOW: A weak disturbance will move into the state today bringing with it a chance of some snow mainly across the western half of the state. We can’t rule out a few flurries in our eastern counties but they will be few and far between. Any accumulations will be minor with most places seeing an inch or less. Highs today will be in the 20s across the state. Sunshine will return on Friday with readings in the upper teens through the 20s across the state. The main event will be across the east where a major storm is forecast to occur there. If your travels take you toward the east coast late this week and into the weekend, prepare for a mess.

SOME MODERATION: Temperatures will be near seasonal levels as we head into the weekend. Saturday looks to be the best of the two days with more sunshine than on Sunday where clouds will be on the increase ahead of our next weather system. Highs in 20s for the most part across the state. The next system comes in late Sunday into Monday with a chance of some snow at that time. It’s too early to specify amounts at this time but it is something to look at in the coming days.

NEXT WEEK: Colder air rushes back into the state following the passage of the system on Tuesday into Wednesday with readings dropping into the teens for highs and lows very close to zero once again. This doesn’t look to last long before temperatures rise above the freezing mark on Thursday next week. Of course that won’t last long either as a clipper system is shown dropping in from the northwest Thursday into Thursday night with a chance of some snow mainly in our northeastern counties. Temperatures look to drop back to seasonal levels next Friday.

FEBRUARY CALLING: Looking ahead at what the GFS is saying for the extended period, there is a storm that will need to be watched around the 1st and 2nd of February that could bring some interesting weather to the state. February 1st is the day of the Iowa Caucus and of course the 2nd is Groundhog Day (which will be the 5 year anniversary of the Groundhog Day blizzard of 2011). We saw this yesterday and we’ll continue to watch it over the coming days to see what comes of this possible event. Readings prior to this look to be above seasonal levels and then drop back behind the system. There is a lot of fluidity at this point as this is just model data. Don’t change plans yet. The GFS has a weak system moving through around the 4th with some light snow otherwise the rest of the period looks rather tranquil and seasonal (although this can change)