The Sioux City area already has more than seven inches of new snow on the ground from the latest winter storm, which may drop nearly a foot on parts of the state. Jim Lee, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, says much of western and central Iowa is under a Winter Weather Advisory through tomorrow.

Lee says this is an unusual snowfall event as it will be very prolonged, with snow falling perhaps 36 hours straight. He says flakes started flying in Denison around noon on Sunday and it’ll keep falling through the day and into tonight. Lee says snow totals will vary from county to county across Iowa.

Forecasters say northeast Iowa may only get a few inches of snow while parts of western and southwestern Iowa may get nine to 11-inches. Central Iowa may get six to eight inches of snow. It should taper off before reaching eastern Iowa, which may get two to four inches. On the plus side, he says there shouldn’t be any ice or high winds accompanying the storm, which would have made travel conditions much more hazardous.

Lee says we may have a few days to dig out before more snow falls. After the storm clears out, perhaps by Tuesday night, much of the rest of the week should be cold and clear, with the chance of another storm on Friday that may bring more snow and even colder air. Learn more at weather.gov.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City