A wide section of Iowa was glazed in a thick coating of ice on Tuesday and today’s (Thursday) forecast calls for more of the same — with an extra helping of snow. Meteorologist Alex Krull, at the National Weather Service office in metro Des Moines, says the temperature is hovering right around 32 degrees so some areas of the state are seeing rain while others have freezing rain, sleet or snow. “Up near the Iowa-Minnesota border is where we’re expecting probably two to two-and-a-half inches of snow,” Krull says. “We did have one band that moved through the Fort Dodge area this morning where we had reports of up to three-and-a-half inches of snow. That caught us off-guard just a little bit.”

Central and southern Iowa will see less snow and more rain, then freezing rain as the temperatures fluctuate. Much like on Tuesday, Krull says the ice could cause serious problems ranging from dangerously-slick roads to tree damage that leads to power outages. “We’re expecting the most ice accumulation to be along a line from Atlantic up to Ames to just west of Waterloo,” Krull says. “That’s where we’re expecting anywhere from about five-hundreds of an inch to a tenth of an inch.”

It’s been a little warmer in eastern Iowa but all of the rain and melting snow in recent days has led to flooding in some areas. Krull says it appears most of the precipitation falling in the eastern third of the state today will be in the frozen form, not rain. “They might see a little bit, so it doesn’t look like they’re going to get as heavy a rain showers as they had towards the beginning of the week,” Krull says. “The National Weather Service in Davenport has been really busy with flooding, with their coverage area in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. The rain doesn’t help out the situation but it doesn’t look like it’s going to greatly augment it.”

The heaviest flooding at the moment is along the Maquoketa River near DeWitt in Clinton County. Keep up to date with the ever-changing forecast on kjan, our social media outlets and apps.

(Radio Iowa)

**Winter Weather Advisory in effect until Midnight**

Today: Light snow this morning; Light snow/freezing drizzle this afternoon. High around 32. E @ 10-15.

Tonight: Light snow/freezing drizzle ending. (1-2” snow possible). Low 22. NW @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Partly Cloudy. High 35. NW @ 10-15.

Saturday: Cloudy w/rain or light snow. High 38.

Sunday: P/Cldy to Cldy. High around 33.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 27. Our Low this morning (as of 6-a.m.), was 22. We had received just under an inch of snow (.8”) as of 6-a.m. Last year on this date our High was 71 and the Low was 36. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 71 in 2017, the Record Low was -14 in 1894.

Today: Mostly sunny. High around 30. N/NE @ 10.

Tonight: Becoming cloudy w/light snow late. Low 20. SE @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Cloudy w/light snow. High 33.E/SE @ 10-15.

Friday: Light snow ending early (1-2” total possible). Becoming P/Cldy. High 35.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy w/a mix of precipitation. High around 38.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 22. Our Low this morning (as of 5-a.m.), was 9. We received a trace of snowfall Tuesday, on-and-off during the day. Last year on this date our High was 66 and the Low was 30. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 66 in 2017, the Record Low was -19 in 1894.

**Winter Weather Advisory for ice/freezing rain until 12-p.m. **

Today: Cloudy w/freezing drizzle or light snow through mid-day. High around 28. NW @ 15-25. (1/2” of snow possible)

Tonight: Partly Cloudy. Low 5.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 30. Variable wind @ 5-10.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy w/light snow. High around 33.

Friday: P/Cldy. High near 33.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 31. Our Low this morning (as of 5-a.m.), was 23. Last year on this date our High was 60 and the Low was 29. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 65 in 1925, the Low was -19 in 1978. We received .2 of an inch of freezing drizzle, thunder and lightning overnight, as freezing rain and sleet fell in Atlantic. The mixed precip. melted down to .14″.

Spring is still several weeks away, but the National Weather Service has released its first look at potential flooding. Senior hydrologist Jeff Zogg says there appear to be few worries right now. “Most of the state — including the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers — we’re seeing a near-normal risk of flood across Iowa. Nothing really abnormal stands out,” Zogg says. There was very little snow on the ground until just recently, and he says that is one of the things they take into account. “The snowpack is definitely a factor that we consider when we look at the risk of flooding in the spring. And the snowpack that we have, that definitely tended to increase the risk, because across much of the state the snowpack has been above normal,” Zogg explains.

The flood risk is based on areas the normally might flood and does not include the possibility of flash flooding brought on by heavy rains. Zogg says water levels in streams and lakes make a difference in the outlook.”Stream levels going into the winter are definitely one thing that we take into account when we look at the risk of flooding,” according to Zogg. “Those were near normal, in some location a little bit below normal, so those tended to have a negligible impact, maybe even decrease the risk a little bit.”  He says there are several other factors that could impact any flooding between now and spring. “Future precipitation trends — if we get a lot of snow or a lot of rain for example — that would tend to increase the risk of flooding. So, we’ll just have to keep an eye on that,” Zogg says.

The speed of the warm-up and snowmelt is also a factor, as a gradual melting gives the streams and lakes more time to absorb the runoff from the melting.

(Radio Iowa)

**Winter Weather Advisories in effect – see update on the weather page**

Today: Cloudy w/areas of light rain and drizzle changing to light freezing rain & drizzle. Temps falling to around 32 this morning and in the low 30’s during the day. N @ 10-20.

Tonight: Cloudy w/freezing rain overnight. Low 24. N @ 10-20.

Tomorrow: Light freezing rain/drizzle thru mid-day (total of .1” expected). High 28. N@ 10-20.

Wednesday: P/Cldy. High around 28.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy w/light snow. High near 32.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 56. Our Low this morning was 31. We received .08″ of rain/drizzle through 7-a.m. today (24-hour total). Last year on this date our High was 71 and the Low was 32. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 71 in 2017, the Low was -33 in 1936.

Today: Sunny & windy, with a high near 55. S winds @ 20-30 mph w/gusts up to 45, decreasing to 15 to 20 mph later this afternoon. WIND ADVISORY in effect from 9-a.m. until 2-p.m.
Tonight: Increasing clouds, w/a 70% chance of rain, mainly after midnight. Low around 34. South winds @ 5-10mph becoming east northeast after midnight. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Monday (Washington’s Birthday): Cloudy w/morning rain becoming mixed with and changing over to freezing rain. Little or no ice accumulation is expected. The temperature will be falling into the upper 20’s during the day. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: Freezing rain likely, mainly after midnight, otherwise Cloudy, with a low around 22. North wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New ice accumulation of 0.1 to 0.2 of an inch possible.
Tuesday: A chance of freezing rain before noon. Mostly cloudy & blustery, with a high near 25. N @ 10-25mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy & bluster, with a low around 7.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 25.

The National Weather Service reports warm and very windy conditions are forecast throughout the day Sunday across Iowa. A boundary will set up across southwest to northeast Iowa late Sunday night into Monday, and locations along and northwest will likely experience freezing rain/drizzle during this time frame.

A glaze to near two-tenths of an inch of ice is possible over western to northern Iowa by Monday afternoon. Southeast of this front, rain with an isolated thunderstorm is forecast Monday.(More info. here: http://www.weather.gov/media/dmx/sitreport/SitReport1.pdf) 

Another round of freezing rain is forecast to develop Monday evening and looks to persist into Tuesday over central to southeast portions of Iowa as the front drifts southeast. Up to one to two-tenths of ice is possible.

In addition to the icing potential, gusty winds of 15 to 25 mph Monday into Tuesday may cause ice coated tree limbs and powerlines to break or fall. Stay tuned to the latest forecast on KJAN or go to http://www.weather.gov/dmx/

Skyscan Forecast  Saturday, February 17, 2018    Richard Garuckas

Today: Partly sunny. High 43. Breezy. S @ 10-15 becoming WNW.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Low 24. S @ 5-10.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, mild. High 55. SSW 15-25 with gusts up to 40mph.

Sunday Night: Cloudy. Rain likely. Low 36.

Monday: Cloudy. Rain and freezing rain likely. High 37.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of snow in the morning. High 25.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High 27.

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Today: P/Cldy. High 28. NW winds @ 15-25 becoming W @ 10.

Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 18. SW @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy to cldy w/spinkles or flurries. High 40. SW-NW@ 10-20.

Sunday: P/Cldy. High around 50.

Monday: Mostly cloudy w/light rain or drizzle. High near 40.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 44. Our Low this morning (as of 5:30-a.m.), was 12. Last year on this date our High was 64 and the Low was 29. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 64 in 2017, the Low was -33 in 1958.