47 AM CST FRI FEB 3 2012 NWS/Valley NE
…HEAVY SNOW TO HIT THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY…
A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND SATURDAY…AFFECTING WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEBRASKA TODAY…THEN EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. SNOW COULD BEGIN AS EARLY AS FRIDAY EVENING IN PARTS OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA…BUT WILL REALLY BEGIN TO ACCUMULATE FRIDAY NIGHT.
FOR MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE COUNTIES IN IA…
WINTER STORM WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING...
RAIN WILL GRADUALLY CHANGE OVER TO SNOW ACROSS THE AREA EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. SNOW IS EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY SATURDAY WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL OCCURRING SATURDAY MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL VARY FROM NEAR 4 TO 7 INCHES WITH THE HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NORTH ALONG THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR. THE TIMING OF THE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW WILL AFFECT SNOW AMOUNTS GREATLY. IF THE CHANGE STARTS EARLIER IN THE NIGHT…SNOW AMOUNTS COULD BE SEVERAL MORE INCHES THAN FORECAST. TRAVEL WILL BECOME DIFFICULT SATURDAY MORNING OVER THE AREA AND SOME BLOWING SNOW COULD DEVELOP. THE COMBINATION OF SNOWFALL AND WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO A HALF MILE OR LESS AT TIMES.
The National Weather Service has expanded the Winter Storm Watch to include Taylor and Ringgold Counties in southwest Iowa. The Watch now covers nearly all of the KJAN listening area. Officials say a mixture of rain and snow will develop over area Friday evening before switching over to all snow past midnight Friday into the early morning hours on Saturday.
The heaviest accumulations are expected to occur Saturday morning into Saturday afternoon before it tapers off Saturday evening. Total snowfall across southwest and western Iowa may range from 4- to 7-inches. In addition, northeast winds at 20- to 30-miles per hours with higher gusts possible, are expected to cause significant visibility restrictions and drifting of snow on Saturday and Saturday night.
Continue to keep abreast of the latest weather forecasts, and consider postponing any travel plans early this weekend.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A powerful winter storm system that could dump a dozen inches of snow in blizzard conditions has been forecast for Nebraska and portions of adjacent states. A blizzard warning has been issued for three southwest Nebraska counties and nearby portions of Kansas and Colorado. The National Weather Service says the warnings take effect at 11 p.m. MST Thursday. A blizzard watch extends to the northeast.
Winter storm warnings and watches have been issued to take effect later Thursday or on Friday for the rest of Nebraska and much of southeast Wyoming, northeast Colorado, northwest Kansas and western Iowa. The Weather Service says the storm is expected to move into Nebraska late Thursday night and last into Saturday. Rain is expected to precede the snowfall in many areas.
Here in western Iowa, snowfall amounts through 6-p.m. Saturday, are expected to range anywhere from 2-inches in Page County, to more than 7-inches in Pottawattamie County. Cass County looks to receive just under 5-inches of snow, according to the latest estimates.
The first three days of this week saw record breaking temperatures set in Atlantic, but there’s little liklihood today will come close to the record high for this date. Wednesday’s high in Atlantic was 60, which broke the old record of 58, set back in 1987. Today’s record high was 66, in 1992, but the forecast only calls for a high of around 56-degrees.
A major change in the weather is set to take place late Friday night into Saturday night, as a snowstorm sets its sights on Nebraska and Western Iowa. Right now, it appears snowfall amounts will range from 4-to 7-inches, but that could change, depending on the track of the storm, and how late the rain we get on Friday, changes to snow.
A Winter Storm Watch will be in effect for most of the listening area, from late Friday night into Saturday night. Travel conditions are expected to deteriorate Friday night, with reduced visibilities due to blowing heavy snow, and slushy road conditions.
Here’s the forecast for Atlantic, and the KJAN listening area, plus the weather stats for Atlantic.
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423 AM CST THU FEB 2 2012 NWS/Des Moines
…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT FOR MOST OF THE KJAN LISTENING AREA (Cass, Adair, Adams, Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Madison, Mills, Montgomery, Pottawattamie, Shelby & Union Counties)
TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 50S. SOUTHEAST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.
TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY IN THE EVENING THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. NOT AS COOL. LOW IN THE MID 30S. EAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.
FRIDAY…RAIN…BREEZY…COOLER. HIGH IN THE MID 40S. EAST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN NEAR 100 PERCENT.
FRIDAY NIGHT…RAIN THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN SNOW AND RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT. BREEZY. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. LOW AROUND 30. NORTHEAST WIND 20 TO 25 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION NEAR 100 PERCENT.
SATURDAY...SNOW…BREEZY…COLDER. MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. HIGH IN THE LOWER 30S. NORTHEAST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW NEAR 100 PERCENT.
SATURDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. LOW IN THE MID 20S.
SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW. HIGH IN THE MID 30S.
WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING…
COUNTIES AFFECTED IN WESTERN IA: MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY- FREMONT
…POTENTIAL WINTER STORM HEADED TOWARD REGION…
RAIN WILL MIX WITH AND CHANGE TO SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST ON FRIDAY NIGHT. SNOW IS THEN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY ON SATURDAY…ENDING SATURDAY NIGHT. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 INCHES OR GREATER IS POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA.
THERE REMAINS UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE EXACT TRACK OF THE STORM SYSTEM. IN ADDITION…THERE IS ALSO UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHEN THE RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW ACROSS THE AREA ON FRIDAY NIGHT. THE SOONER RAIN CHANGES TO SNOW THE HIGHER THE SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE. IF THE CHANGE OVER TO SNOW IS DELAYED…LOWER SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL BE EXPECTED.
ONCE THE RAIN DOES CHANGE TO SNOW ON FRIDAY NIGHT…TRAVEL WILL BECOME DIFFICULT. DUE TO THE WET NATURE OF THE SNOW…ROAD SURFACES WILL BECOME SLUSHY MAKING DRIVING DIFFICULT. HEAVY SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBLE REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN A QUARTER OF A MILE AT TIMES. NORTHEAST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WILL ALSO LEAD TO BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
Here’s the forecast for Atlantic, and the rest of the KJAN listening area….
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A 120-year old record high temperature was eclipsed Tuesday, here in Atlantic. The old record of 58 degrees in 1892 was surpassed when we topped out at 59, Tuesday afternoon. It was the second consecutive day of record breaking temperatures in Atlantic. On Monday, we reached 65 degrees, which beat the 58 degree record set in 1988. The weather service said this (Wednesday) morning, they were not aware of any other records being set in Iowa, Tuesday, although temperatures were much warmer than normal.
345 AM CST WED FEB 1 2012
TODAY…SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 50S. WEST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.
TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE MID 20S. WEST WIND NEAR 5 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT BECOMING LIGHT.
THURSDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 50S. EAST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.
THURSDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 30S. EAST WIND AROUND 10 MPH.
FRIDAY…RAIN LIKELY IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY…COLDER. HIGH IN THE MID 40S. EAST WIND 10 TO 25 MPH. CHANCE
OF RAIN 90 PERCENT.
FRIDAY NIGHT...LIGHT RAIN AND LIGHT SNOW THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN LIGHT SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. BREEZY. LOW IN THE UPPER 20S. CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION 90 PERCENT.
SATURDAY…LIGHT SNOW LIKELY IN THE MORNING…THEN LIGHT RAIN AND LIGHT SNOW LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 30S.
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 60 PERCENT.
SATURDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. LOW IN THE MID 20S.