Garner, Iowa

... Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 3 PM CST this
afternoon...
... Winter Storm Warning in effect from 3 PM this afternoon to
midnight CST Friday night...
... Freezing Rain Advisory is cancelled...

The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a Winter
Storm Warning for freezing rain... sleet and snow... which is in
effect from 3 PM this afternoon to midnight CST Friday night. A
Winter Weather Advisory has also been issued. This Winter Weather
Advisory for freezing rain or snow is in effect until 3 PM CST
this afternoon. The Freezing Rain Advisory has been canceled. The
Winter Storm Watch is no longer in effect.

... Winter Weather Advisory...

* short term trends... an area of showers... and even a few
thunderstorms... over Kansas and Missouri will advance northward
into southern Iowa this morning. As it does the precipitation
will switch to a more winter variety becoming freezing rain and
then eventually sleet or snow by the time it hits northern Iowa
toward midday. One to two tenths of ice may accumulate by
daybreak Thursday. One to five inches of snow is also expected
with the highest amounts in that range toward the Minnesota
border.

* Impacts... travel will be hazardous with snow and ice covered
roads becoming more prevalent throughout the day.

... Winter Storm Warning...

* long term trends... the wintry mix and snow and sleet will
continue late this afternoon and tonight before eventually
transitioning to all snow late Thursday or early Friday. This
change over to snow will also be coincident with increasing
north to northwest winds producing greatly reduced visibilities
and near blizzard conditions.

* Total snow and ice accumulations... one to four tenths of an inch
of ice may accumulate with the highest amounts along the Highway
20 and Highway 30 corridors before the change to all snow. By
the time the snow ends Saturday... storm total accumulations
should range from five to ten inches from Atlantic... to Webster
City... to Hampton... with 12 to 17 inches from Denison to Mason
City. The higher amounts of that range should occur farther
northwest toward Estherville.

* Winds... brisk east winds of 15 to 25 mph will be common through
Thursday... however by Friday... winds will become northwest at
25 to 35 mph with higher gusts.

* Visibility... during the periods of heavy snow Thursday into
Friday... visibilities will generally be less than one mile and
even down to a quarter mile during the heaviest snows. White out
near blizzard conditions may develop over northwest Iowa.

* Impacts... travel will become increasingly difficult in the
warning area over the next several days and may be nearly
impossible by Friday as snow accumulates and winds increase.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow... sleet... or
freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for
slippery roads and limited visibility... and use caution while
driving.

A Winter Storm Warning means significant amounts of snow... sleet... and
ice are expected or occurring. Strong winds are also possible.
This will make travel very hazardous or impossible.