You know you live in Iowa when you can have temperatures in the 50s and 60s for an extended period and then have a winter storm affecting the state over the weekend. Well, that’s the exact situation that will setup for the weekend. A large and broad storm system is ejecting from the Rockies tonight and cause a lot of moisture to flood into the state overnight on Saturday. Rain is expected to begin early in the afternoon as temperatures remain above freezing before temperatures begin falling from north to south in the mid to late afternoon around 5 PM.

 

Of course, as this happens, a rain to snow transition should happen – the northern one-third of the state, including Mason City, Decorah, Waterloo, Fort Dodge, Sioux City, and surrounding areas should be completely changed over to snow by 6 PM.  The rest of the state, including Des Moines, Davenport, Omaha, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Dubuque, Burlington, and surrounding areas will likely see a rain to snow mix up until about 9 PM. At this point, the whole state should begin seeing all snow as we go through the overnight. The far southeast parts of the state may be a bit later in the overnight, depending on how long the warm air sticks around. This is a wildcard in this evenings package as if the warm air sticks around longer than expected, snowfall totals may be lower in these areas. Nonetheless, those that are traveling overnight on Saturday and Sunday should be extra cautious on the roads.

Another factor that will have to be watched will be the winds. Those in the northern part of the state need to pay extra attention to this. While only one to four inches are possible in the northern part of the state, this will get easily blown around with sustained winds around 15-20 MPH (and gusts to 30 MPH in some areas). The winds will be a bit lighter in the southern part of the state, but this will still be enough to blow it around and cause hazardous travel. Another issue with this is that we will likely see wet snow turn into dry snow in the overnight hours, which will not help the blowing and drifting snow cause whatsoever. Again, this will need to be watched.

Speaking of snow totals, the highest accumulations are expected from east central through central and southeastern Iowa at seven to nine inches. Light accumulations can be expected to the north and west with four to seven inches possible from Clarinda and Omaha through Fort Dodge and north of Dubuque. One to four inches for northwest and extreme north central and northeast Iowa. A Winter Storm Watch has been posted in these areas and will likely be upgraded to warnings and advisories early this morning. Stay tuned to the Iowa Weather Network for the latest information!