Winter Storm (Dec. 18)

The entire state of Iowa is now under a Winter Storm Watch for Thursday and Thursday night, with significant accumulations of snow, ice, and sleet possible dependent on your location in the state. A storm system is expected to develop during the afternoon hours on Thursday, with a low pressure center likely to track through northern Missouri and into central Illinois. This will put the state of Iowa in a favorable location for continued precipitation during the afternoon hours on Thursday and continuing into early Friday. With moisture expected to be sufficient, over a half-inch of precipitation is likely throughout the state with some higher amounts. This precipitation may fall as freezing rain, sleet, and snow creating very hazardous driving conditions.

Current forecasts would indicate that the southern half of the state may see greater than a tenth of an inch of freezing rain, followed by sleet and a few inches of snow. The northern half of the state may see some freezing rain and sleet, but a majority of precipitation should fall as snow; leading to more than 6 inches of snowfall for most of the area. These winter storms are especially hard to forecast for, so be prepared for all modes of winter weather including significant icing, sleet, and snowfall...

An afternoon update will likely be posted with any forecast revisions...