If you have plans to travel in Iowa this weekend, you’ll want to keep an eye on the weather forecast.
A Winter Storm Watch is posted for most of central and eastern Iowa on Saturday. National Weather Service Meteorologist Rod Donovan says snow and rain is likely in the morning, eventually changing to all snow.
He says snow totals will range from 3 to 6 inches, with locally heavier amounts. The biggest problem will be winds gusts of 35 to 40 miles per hour, creating blizzard-like conditions. Western Iowa could receive up to two inches of snow, while the eastern part of the state will get hit the hardest.
"Some of the most intense activity will be going on during the afternoon," Donovan says. "We’ll see light snow lingering into the evening hours, but the winds will continue right through Sunday morning." Driving conditions should be much better by Monday.
Donovan says, "Right now it looks like we will have a break on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We’ll have lighter winds and drier weather, so it should be fairly good traveling." You can check the latest road conditions on-line at the Department of Transportation’s website .