First Snow of Spring!

With today the official first day of spring, a quick system will clip portions of the state and give us our first spring snow. The entire state won't be seeing the snow however, the southern two-thirds should see mainly rain. In fact, some instability will be present tonight and may allow for a few rumbles of thunder in the south-central portion of the state. This system should clear out of the state during the day of Friday, only to give way to another weak system for the weekend.

Highs today ranging from the lower 40s to lower 60s across the state, a nice day no matter where you are in the state. Lows tonight from near 30 in the north to the lower 40s in the southern third of the state. Tonight will also see anywhere north of a Sioux City to Des Moines to Burlington line encountering precipitation. A rain/snow mix for some areas, while some areas see just snow or rain. The areas that see accumulating snow are likely to be the ones north of Highway 20 across the state. Significant snow accumulations are likely to continue during the day on Friday over the northern portions of the state, this is especially true for northeast Iowa where Winter Storm Warnings have been issued. As the precipitation continues on Friday, expect highs in the mid 30s in the northeast to near 50 around Council Bluffs. Seeing the temperatures in the 30s while the snow is falling in the northeast is leading the belief that the snow is likely to be the heavy stuff.

Total snow accumulations by Friday night will range from a couple inches over northwest and north-central Iowa, 2-4 inches possible for the Estherville, Mason City and Waterloo areas. Areas in northeast Iowa that are east of Waterloo and north of Cedar Rapids/Iowa City will see the highest snow amounts, potentially ranging from 5-9 inches by Friday night. The southern half of the state will stay rain through the system, those in between are likely to see both rain and snow, however little snow accumulations are expected. Keep updated with the latest warnings/advisories from the NWS and other details by using the links provided to the right.

Friday night lows in the mid 20s to near 30 from north to south giving way to highs on Saturday ranging from the upper 30s in the northeast to the mid 40s in the south. Lows Saturday and Sunday night in the 20s throughout the state; highs on Sunday in the upper 30s to lower 40s. A weak system may work through the state on Saturday night and Sunday, nothing significant expected at the moment with this system.