A Winter Storm Watch is posted tonight through Friday afternoon for a large portion of southeast and eastern Iowa. The affected area extends roughly east of a line from Lamoni to Independence. National Weather Service Meteorologist Ken Podrazik says the good news is there will be little wind and the precipitation will come in the form of snow.
He expects three to five inches of snow in the watch area with up to six inches in some spots. Iowa cities just to the west of the watch area, such as Des Moines, Marshalltown and Waterloo, can expect 2 to 3 inches of snow. However, the storm is still taking shape and the forecast could change.
“With the current track, the bulls eye is still southeast and south-central Iowa,” Podrazik says, “if it moves just a shade to the northwest, we could see an inch or two more in Des Moines.” The forecast calls for trace amounts of snow, possibly an inch, for western and northern Iowa. Check the DOT website for the latest road conditions.