Very Windy & Stormy

I've awoke this morning to a dark apartment, as a fairly large power outage is occurring in Ames this morning. I'm unaware of how this outage occurred, but high winds may easily have something to do with it. Much of central Iowa has been listed under a Wind Advisory as winds are sustained 30-35 mph and gusting up to near 45 mph. These highs winds are likely to continue through the day and into this evening. A low pressure system is responsible for these very high winds and will continue to track into the state late tonight. With the low pressure system is going to come significant precipitation chances for the entire state, with heavy snows in extreme northwest Iowa to severe weather in the southeast.

Potential for severe weather looks to include anywhere south of a Dubuque to Omaha, NE line. Large hail and damaging winds are the leading threats, however isolated tornadoes are not going to be ruled out. The strongest of the storms look to occur well south of the state through southern Missouri and Arkansas. Another area of enhanced severe weather may also be possible in northwest Missouri and adjacent areas of Iowa. Residents of those areas should keep an eye out for any severe weather and listen to local TV or radio to stay updated.

For those in the northwest, expect rain beginning today, but a turn over to snow is likely this evening. Lyon county in northwest Iowa has been put under a Blizzard Warning, as snow totals upwards of 6 inches are likely with winds above 25 mph. Other adjacent counties in northwest Iowa have been put under a Winter Weather Advisory where 3-5 inches of snow may be expected. Other areas north of a Onawa, IA to LaCrosse, WI line should expect to see the potential for accumulating snow overnight tonight. Totals through those areas should be in the 1-3 inch range with the heaviest to the northwest.

Very active weather day in Iowa, more updates possible later if the potential for severe weather increases.