Several more inches of snow are forecast today for parts of southern Iowa, though forecasters say the big weather story is the extreme cold that’ll settle in tonight.
Meteorologist Rod Donavon, at the National Weather Service in metro Des Moines, says dangerous wind chills are likely for much of northern and central Iowa, which will be under an Extreme Cold Warning tonight and tomorrow morning.
“We are expecting likely the coldest temperatures of the season tonight, with overnight low temperatures anywhere from right around minus-seven below near the Missouri border, and as you get into northern Iowa, in the 20s below zero,” Donavon says. “With that, with a northerly wind at five to 15 miles an hour, our wind chills tonight will be in the minus-25 to minus-40 degree range, so extremely cold overnight tonight.”
Temperatures are well below normal and he says we’re in for an exceptionally bitter cold week with the potential for some records.
“We’re going to keep our streak of below-zero wind chill values going through at least Friday across all of Iowa, and in some parts of Iowa, that may persist into Saturday,” Donavon says. “We do have a couple more cold nights after tonight, Tuesday night, and then after that Wednesday night, so we are expecting some more cold weather headlines during that period with overnight wind chill values again in that minus-15 to minus-35 degree range.”
A Winter Weather Advisory is posted for eight counties in southwest and south-central Iowa through 6 o’clock tonight. Donavon says that region of the state is seeing more snowflakes fly.
“Right now, the general line is anywhere from near Denison to Audubon and southward and southeastward towards Lamoni, and anywhere down and to the southwest of that line, basically looking at one to three inches,” Donavon says. “We could have potentially some localized four-inch amounts as we get towards the Missouri border. That should be tapering off as we get into the evening hours.”
Driving conditions in southwest Iowa are deteriorating as the Iowa DOT’s 511 website shows many roads are already partly or completely snow covered.