Weather Water Cooler

This weekend system is one that we’ve been tracking since Monday.  Moisture is not a concern, as there will be plenty of that.  However, what type of precipitation that eventually falls will be much more interesting to watch, and a big challenge to forecast as well.  Here’s a timeline of what to expect through Saturday night.

 

FRIDAY – Clouds will continue to increase through the day, and it looks like the entire area will remain dry at least through mid-afternoon if not longer.  Much of the area will experience a general increase in clouds with highs into the lower 40s.

 

FRIDAY NIGHT – The leading edge of moisture will push northward with locations along and south of I-80 dealing with primarily rain.  Where the transition occurs is very difficult to pin down, but it looks like a transition from rain to snow will occur around Highway 30.  Also, some freezing rain or sleet may occur there during the transition.  Around the Highway 20 area and northward, precipitation will generally be in the form of sleet or snow.

 

SATURDAY – Precipitation will be a mixture of rain and snow over our area.  Like Friday night, there will be rainfall in the south, and snow mainly to the north.  This is a system where southern Iowa may get by with all rain, and northern Iowa sees several inches of snow.  The snow may be heavy at times, and the rain may be moderate at times.

 

SATURDAY NIGHT – As the cold air wraps in on the back side of the system, any lingering moisture will transition to light snow and flurries.  This is the point where southern Iowa may get in on about an inch of new snow.  Total snowfall accumulations will be tough to call right now, given the variety of precipitation.  But around 2-4″ of snow around Waterloo and Dubuque seems reasonable for a starting point.  Lesser amounts towards the south.

 

The track is not set in stone, in fact, far from it.  However, this is a logical starting point.  Stay tuned for further updates.