Snow expected to impact morning commute

Snow began falling in east central Iowa Sunday night and up to a half a foot is expected, making the Monday morning commute hazardous, the National Weather Service forecast.

A swath of Iowa, including the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City areas, was placed Sunday under a winter weather advisory.

The weather service said that 4 to 6 inches of snow could fall in the area between Sunday evening and sometime Monday.

'The snow is expected to become moderate, to briefly heavy, at times into early Monday morning, especially along and north of Interstate 80,” the advisory said. 'The Monday morning commute will be impacted by snow covered roads and reduced visibilities. Snow intensity will decreasing significantly by the late morning on Monday, although periods of light snow are forecast through the afternoon and possibly in some eastern areas into early evening.”

The Cedar Rapids Public Works Department said some snow plow crews were expected to report no later than 11 p.m. Sunday.

The city said that bridges, hills and intersections already had been treated with 16,000 gallons of brine to make them less susceptible to snow packing.

At least three cities in the Corridor - North Liberty, Hiawatha and Mount Vernon - declared a snow emergency that prohibits on-street parking so plows can get through.

Safety officials urged drivers who must commute in the snow to leave more travel time, to be cautious with starting and stopping and making turns and to leave plenty of room between vehicles on the road.