Winter driving tips from the Iowa DOT
Fill your vehicle’s gas tank. Before traveling in winter weather, always keep your vehicle’s gas tank nearly full and make sure your vehicle is in good mechanical condition.  Use your vehicle’s safety equipment. Your vehicle’s headlights are a valuable asset when driving in winter weather. Turn them on to see and be seen. Make sure you and your passengers are wearing their seat belts, and any children are in their child safety seats.

Never use cruise control during winter weather. Your vehicle’s cruise control sensors may not work properly if the tires are traveling on packed snow or ice. This can cause your vehicle to increase speed and increase the danger of a crash.

Keep a winter survival kit in your vehicle. This kit should contain items to help sustain your life and the lives of your passengers should your vehicle become stranded. These items can include: booster cables, candles and matches, a flashlight with fresh batteries, extra blankets and warm clothes, nonperishable food items, a can for melting water, and a snow shovel. Sufficient supplies should be in the kit for all persons traveling in the vehicle.

Use caution when approaching or following a snowplow. Snowplows generally operate at much slower speeds than other traffic. Snowplows can be forced sideways when clearing hard-packed drifts and generate a “snow cloud” that may impair the vision of drivers in nearby vehicles. Remain a safe distance behind the snowplow, pass only when clear; and never continue to drive alongside a plow. Allow plenty of space when passing the snowplow because the wing of the plow blade extends out to the side of the truck. Do not cut back into the lane of traffic too closely in front of a snowplow truck because the blade also extends in front of the truck.

Remember the slogans, “Ice and Snow …Take It Slow” and “Don’t crowd the plow.”

Check on the latest travel conditions. Visit www.511ia.org or call 511 (in Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide). You can also receive 511 traveler information via Twitter or text message. Visit the 511 website and click on the “Twitter” icon to select your desired Twitter feeds. Feeds are available for six Iowa metropolitan areas (Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Quad Cities, Sioux City and Cedar Falls/Waterloo), each of the state’s 99 counties, all traffic alerts and breaking news.

So many accidents are piling-up along Interstate 29 and I-80 in western Iowa, authorities can simply not keep up. Snow and strong, gusty winds have contributed to the accidents along both stretches of road this evening. Scanner traffic indicated anywhere from 20-to 30 vehicles had gone off the road along a stretch of  I-29 from Glenwood north to the I-680 split by 4:30-pm. Most have not resulted in injuries, or minor injuries at best. In one accident, a Glenwood School bus loaded with students reportedly hit an SUV near I-29 northbound and Highway 92. No word yet on any injuries.

The forecast for far western Iowa and extreme eastern Nebraska calls for snow to continue this evening, especially east and south of a line from Seward, NE to Lincoln, NE to Omaha and Onawa, IA. Snowfall amounts thus far have been light, just a few tenths of an inch, however, some of the snow may melt on the roads. When combined with northwest winds of 30-to 45-mph and temperatures falling below freezing, roads have been, and will become slick.

Slow down and use your Winter Weather driving skills. Allow extra time to reach your destination.

Here’s the forecast for Atlantic, and the KJAN listening area…

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411 AM CST WED JAN 11 2012

WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY…

TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY IN THE MORNING…THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDY…COLDER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 30S. TEMPERATURE STEADY OR SLOWLY FALLING IN THE AFTERNOON. WEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MPH INCREASING TO NORTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF SNOW 50 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SNOW THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT.  WINDY…COLDER. LOW AROUND 15. NORTHWEST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 50 PERCENT.

THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. WINDY. MUCH COLDER. HIGH 15 TO 20. NORTHWEST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY. LOW AROUND 10. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH.

FRIDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 20S. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH IN THE MORNING.

FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. NOT AS COOL. LOW 15 TO 20. HIGH IN THE UPPER 30S.

410 AM CST WED JAN 11 2012

Counties included in the Advisory: CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON WITH WINDS INCREASING BETWEEN NOON AND 3 PM AND WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THURSDAY. NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE.

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

300 AM CST WED JAN 11 2012 …STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS THROUGH THE DAY…

.STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WERE BEGINNING TO SPREAD INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA EARLY THIS MORNING BEHIND A COLD FRONT. THE COLD FRONT AND THE STRONG WINDS WILL OVERSPREAD EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA DURING THE MORNING. A PERIOD OF SNOW SHOWERS OR FLURRIES MAY ALSO ACCOMPANY THE WINDS LATER THIS MORNING. WINDS

COUNTIES INCLUDED IN A WIND ADVISORY: HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE

…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THIS EVENING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA/VALLEY HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THIS EVENING. STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP BY LATE THIS MORNING AND LAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH OR HIGHER ARE POSSIBLE.

STRONG WINDS MAY MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT. LOOSE OBJECTS SUCH AS TRASH CANS MAY ALSO BE BLOWN AWAY. LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS MAY ACCOMPANY THE WINDS WHICH COULD REDUCE VISIBILITY.

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 MPH OR HIGHER ARE EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY FOR LIGHT WEIGHT OR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

Here’s the Freese-Notis forecast for Atlantic, and the KJAN listening area….

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330 AM CST TUE JAN 10 2012 NWS/Des Moines

TODAY…SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE UPPER 20S. SOUTHWEST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY IN THE MORNING…THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND LIGHT SNOW IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDY…COLDER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 30S. TEMPERATURE STEADY OR SLOWLY FALLING IN THE AFTERNOON. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH INCREASING TO NORTH 25 TO 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY…COLDER. LOW 15 TO 20. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. BREEZY…COLDER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 20S. NORTHWEST WIND 20 TO 25 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY. LOW AROUND 10.

FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGH IN THE MID 20S. LOW 15 TO 20.

Here’s the forecast for Atlantic and the KJAN listening area (Delayed post due to technical difficulties beyond our control).

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Here’s the forecast for Cass and nearby Counties:

TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE UPPER 20S. WEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TUESDAY…NEAR RECORDS HIGHS POSSIBLE. SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE LOWER 30S. WEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. MUCH COLDER. HIGH IN THE MID 30S. TEMPERATURE STEADY OR SLOWLY FALLING IN THE AFTERNOON. NORTH WIND 15 TO 25 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY…COLDER. LOW AROUND 15.

THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY…COLDER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 20S. LOW AROUND 10.

FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 20S. LOW 15 TO 20.