A blizzard warning is posted for Thursday for a large chunk of central and northern Iowa — covering Ames, Marshalltown, Fort Dodge, Waterloo, Mason City, and Decorah.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Jeff Johnson says the winter storm will begin tonight with heavy rain. “I think we’re going to see a pretty good shot of showers and thunderstorms over southeast Iowa, producing up to an inch of rain. That could cause us some localized flooding problems in that part of the state,” Johnson says.
The rain is expected to change to snow by late tomorrow morning or early afternoon in central and northern Iowa. The heavy snow will be combined with high winds of 40 to 50 miles an hour by late afternoon and evening. “We’re definitely looking at blizzard conditions from Ames on north,” Johnson says.
While areas of northern Iowa can expect heavy snowfall totals, Johnson says it remains unclear how much will fall around the rest of the state. “For now, we’re looking at snow accumulations of probably 4 or 5 inches in central Iowa, with higher amounts north, up to 7 or 8 inches by the time you get up into northeast Iowa,” Johnson said.
The forecast for Friday through Sunday calls for partly cloudy skies with highs in the 20s and 30s.