By the time Iowans wake up tomorrow morning, there should be a blanket of white covering everything outside. A Blizzard Warning is posted for much of the state.
National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Boksa says winds could reach 40 to 50 miles an hour, while heavy snow is in the forecast.
“It’s going to dump a lot of snow mainly in a corridor from Waterloo to Des Moines to Audubon of nine to 11 or 12 inches,” Boksa says, “and then, of course, there’ll be the blowing and drifting snow.”
He says much of the region will be impacted by the fast-moving storm system.
“We’ll saturate rather quickly this afternoon,” Boksa says. “Folks out west should see rain changing to snow rather quickly and it’ll be snowing in earnest this evening. Across the western third of the state, they’ll be ending by 6 AM, and by 9 or 10 o’clock, central Iowa should be pretty much out of it.”
He says travel is not recommended during this blizzard, particularly because of the strong winds that will be whipping up the snow and reducing visibility.
“If you don’t have to travel, don’t, because it’s not going to be good, especially out in rural areas where there’s a lot of open spaces, you won’t be able to see very much.”
Those who wished for a White Christmas will likely get it, as no warm-up is expected before next week. He says there is a possibility of more snow for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City