Northwest Iowa — Snow will develop during the day on Saturday, and continue light to occasionally moderate at times through Sunday.
There is a high probability of snowfall exceeding two inches over much of the region, but even a low to moderate probability of seeing snowfall reach at least 6 inches. While winds will not be excessive, they will be gusty and there may be enough for some drifting snow. Travel is likely to be difficult at times, so be sure to keep up with the latest forecast.
A large and potent low pressure system dropping south through the Rockies and Plains states will bring another round of wintry weather to the region. Accumulating snow is likely Sunday into Sunday night and may create hazardous travel conditions. The axis of heavier snowfall will likely reside over west central into northern Iowa where accumulations of 4 inches or more may occur. Temperatures may remain warm enough to favor mostly rain over snow in southern into east central Iowa on Sunday, but some travel problems may develop as temperatures fall Sunday night. The southern extent of snowfall accumulations remains uncertain due to temperatures near the freezing mark, so pay attention for forecast updates ahead.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM SUNDAY TO 1 AM CDT MONDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches. * WHERE...Portions of southeast South Dakota, northeast Nebraska and northwest and west central Iowa. * WHEN...From 1 AM Sunday to 1 AM CDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
Much of the area is likely to experience one (or more) of the top 5 coldest days on record in October coming up Sunday and Monday. If that is not enough, low temperatures will also be near the coldest on record for the month. Several daily records are also expected around the region.
After varied amounts of snow across Iowa late in the weekend, temperatures will fall even further to start the work week with at least near record cold anticipated in many locations and even a few new records possible in spots. The coldest period will be early Tuesday morning when overnight lows are expected to vary from the single digits northwest to the middle 20s far southeast. Winds won’t be too strong, but still sufficient to drop wind chills even further into the single digits above and below zero northwest and mainly teens elsewhere. These will easily be the coldest temperatures so far this season so be sure to dress warmly in layers and complete any final winterization needed for your home or business.
