Winter storm coming caucus night, but Iowa caucusgoers should be all right

CEDAR RAPIDS - A winter storm is predicted to hit late Monday evening but shouldn't pose a hazard for those traveling to their 7 p.m. caucus precincts.

'There is a chance for a light snow late Monday night, and caucuses typically get done around 10 p.m. or later,” said Chris Havely, KCRG-TV9 meteorologist.

'There might be some slick spots out there, but the winter storm we are really looking at won't get going until later, around midnight. Tuesday is where we will see the storm to start rolling.”

The National Weather Service forecast for Cedar Rapids calls for a 30 percent chance of snow Monday night and an 80 percent chance Tuesday. Havely said there's uncertainty on the magnitude of Tuesday's storm.

'There are still a lot of questions marks we still have to answer,” he said. 'It's going to happen, but it's now a question of where (snow) is it going to fall and who is going to see sleet or large amounts of snow.”

'It's hard to tell, but it would be my guess it would hit in the South first, since the storm is coming from the South, like the Cedar Rapids area.”

KCRG-TV9 meteorologist Britley Ritz also said it is too soon to forecast the storm's weight. She did say, however, that it is possible the northwest portion of Eastern Iowa could see 6 inches of snow. Increased winds are possible on the back end of the system, creating blizzard conditions, she said.

Havely said caucusgoers won't have trouble going to their precincts. But on the ride home, drivers should take normal winter weather travel precautions.

'Caucuses will go OK. I'm sure the Iowa Department of Transportation will be out pre-treating the roads if anything will happen,” Havely added. 'My advice would be to anyone going out in winter weather - be careful and keep up to date with the forecasts. It shouldn't be a huge interruption with the caucus, but always be cautious.”