Weather Headlines
- NEXT 9 HOURS: Snow leads to slick roads
- SHORT TERM: Travel impacts linger into Friday
- LONG TERM: Cold through the weekend, then warmer
Latest Forecast
Hazardous travel is expected for several areas tonight through Friday morning.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Hazardous travel is expected for several areas overnight through Friday morning.
A mix of rain and snow will transition to all snow across eastern Iowa overnight and lead to hazardous travel from slick roads and reduced visibility.
Current winter weather alerts from the National Weather Service.
(KCRG)
Timing
The latest scan from Pinpoint Doppler Radar.
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Through the evening and overnight hours, the rain/snow line will gradually march to the east as colder air pushes into eastern Iowa. Watch for the transition to snow to reach a line from Manchester to Cedar Rapids to Iowa City between 10 PM and Midnight, then progress to the Mississippi river between midnight and 2 AM.
Snow will then continue through the overnight hours. Our far western counties will see the snow end between 5 and 7 AM Friday, then snow continues to taper off from southwest to northeast. By noon, snow crosses the Mississippi River and is out of the area.
Amounts/Accumulations
We are fairly confident that a heavy band of snow will fall across eastern Iowa and drop 6 to 9 inches of snow. There is the potential for a sharp cutoff in amounts to the north and south of this heavy band. As a result, any minor shift in the track of this storm and location of the heaviest snow band could make a big difference in how much snow is in your yard Friday morning. We have seen better consistency in the forecast models as the evening has progressed, and are increasingly confident that the axis of heaviest snowfall will occur along a line from Waterloo to Fayette to Prairie Du Chien.
Snowfall Forecast(KCRG-TV9 First Alert Storm Team)
Impacts
Plan on slick travel overnight through Friday morning, especially where the heaviest snow falls. Winds will become gusty overnight and remain strong on Friday, which could lead to blowing and drifting snow, as well as reduced visibility. As always, drive carefully if you need to be on the roads, allow plenty of following and stopping distance, and give yourself extra time to get to your destination. Keeping food, water, a flashlight, and a blanket in your car are also good precautions to take.
After the Storm
Highs Friday range from the mid 20s in our northern counties to low to mid 30s south of interstate 80. Skies remain mostly cloudy Friday night as lows fall into the low to mid teens across the area. Those with a thick, fresh snowpack will be coldest and could even fall into the single digits.
The weekend will feature mostly cloudy skies on Saturday and partly cloudy skies on Sunday. Highs are in the mid 20s to low 30s with lows in the teens.
After a cold Monday, with partly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 20s and low 30s, temperatures return to the mid 40s for highs through the middle of next week with lows in the 20s and 30s as the weather remains quiet.
Cold stretch ahead(KCRG-TV9 First Alert Storm Team)
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