Winter weather has returned to Iowa and travel has been hazardous in many parts of the Hawkeye State.

“Basically what we’re seeing is a band of precipitation that actually extends well into northwest Iowa right through the central part of the state off into southwest Iowa.  It’s lifting north at quite a good clip,” says Jeff Johnson of the National Weather Service. “Folks underneath this band of precipitation will have two-to-three hours of light to moderate freezing rain.  It should accumulate a tenth (of an inch) or two (tenths of an inch).  Maybe locally higher, but in general terms that’s what we’re looking at.” 

Johnson expects most of the state will avoid snowfall.  “The really heavy snowfall with this system is out in Nebraska and South Dakota and going to lift up into Minnesota. That should not impact us too bad except for the northwest corner of the state could pick up some accumulating snow,,” Johnson says. “Just a sharp cold front coming through (Iowa) this evening; pretty windy.”

Most of the state of Iowa is under a winter weather advisory.  Some highways are so slippery the Iowa State Highway Patrol is forbidding the towing of vehicles which have slid into ditches.  Des Moines Police say there were over 100 accidents in the capitol city this morning.