Snow's not over yet; expect one or two more inches, high winds

The latest winter blast isn't done with Eastern Iowa yet.

“There's some more snow to fall,” Jim Hladik, meteorologist at the Davenport office of the National Weather Service, said about 11 a.m.

Weather service observers reported 6.3 inches of snow overnight in Iowa City and 4.8 in Cedar Rapids, but Hladik expected most locations will add another inch or two by late tonight.

By the time the snow stops, “it's shaping up to be a widespread 5 to 7 (inches), with a localized 8 inches,” he said.

Measuring the snow, not to mention traveling in it, will be complicated as gusty northwest winds arrive on the storm's trailing edge. Hladik said winds will pick up by midafternoon.

“They'll be pretty brisk well into the night,” he said. “With this light, fluffy snow, that will be drifting over the roads,” making for hazardous travel starting this afternoon.

“With your evening commute, there will be some trouble there,” Hladik said.

Winds up to 30 mph will return subzero cold to the region, with temperatures in the midteens below zero likely Friday night, and nearly as cold Saturday.

“We might struggle to get much above zero for Saturday highs, and that's with full sun,” Hladik said.

The winter storm warning in effect through midnight will probably be replaced or supplemented tonight by a windchill warning and a winter weather advisory, Hladik said.

Once we're through this cold shot, there's cause for mild optimism.

“We've got a couple of very cold nights for the weekend, and then early next week we start switching around,” Hladik said, meaning temperatures “at least back in the lower 20s” by midweek.

This morning's snowfall totals reported by weather service observers:

Walcott: 5.6 inches

What Cheer: 5.0

Wapello: 6.8

Earlville 4.8

Center Junction 4.8

Springville 4.4

Marengo 7.0

Atkins 5.1

Vinton 4.0

Bertram 5.3

Ely 5.5

Dubuque 3.1