We’re less than 12 hours away from the start of a winter storm that could drop more than a half-foot of snow on parts of Eastern Iowa. A Winter Storm Warning goes into effect this afternoon through Saturday for all of Eastern Iowa.  “The first impacts of the storm will be felt starting early this afternoon,” said Meteorologist Kaj O’Mara.  “Snow will start to fall during the afternoon hours and could create slick conditions for the evening commute Friday, be prepared. It’s also during this same time frame that we’ll see winds start to pick up.”

The heaviest snowfall will happen tonight into early Saturday morning.  Snow should wrap up by early midday Saturday.

IMPACTS

The snow will start to fall around midday in northern Iowa and spread south into the afternoon. The snowfall will pick up, as will the wind, as the evening continues and road conditions will deteriorate as the snow continues to pile up.

“With winds gusting as high as 30 m.p.h., travel conditions could prove to be difficult. I’m looking specifically at Friday night and Saturday morning as being the worst timeframe for travel,” O’Mara said. “If you’re in an open or rural area, strong winds will create blowing and drifting snow.”

SNOWFALL AMOUNTS

The latest snowfall forecast as of 4 a.m. Friday has Eastern Iowa receiving six to nine inches of snow. Locally heavier amounts are possible, O’Mara added.

“The snow will be light and fluffy, not the type you would think of for building a snowman for example. This will make it easier to shovel. But, with the wind, this will be a very hard snowfall to measure.”

COLD WEATHER MOVES IN

After the winter storm moves through, an arctic air mass moves into the Midwest. Temperatures will drop below zero Saturday night; high temperatures Sunday will stay in the single digits above zero, with wind chills below zero. High temperatures during the early part of next week will stay in the upper teens to low 20s.