Charles City area winter storm warning extended to later Saturday

Press Staff Report

The National Weather Service has extended the winter storm warning affecting the Charles City area and beyond. The warning is now in effect from 10 a.m. today (Friday) until 6 p.m. Saturday, although the estimated snowfall has been scaled back slightly.

Originally predicted as 4 to 8 inches, the latest forecast is for 4 to 6 inches of snow accumulation and up to a tenth of an inch of ice.

“Snow is forecast to develop over western portions of Iowa early Friday morning and push east through the morning into the early afternoon,” the National Weather Service said.

“The onset of snow is likely to be intense, causing reduced visibility and quickly deteriorating travel conditions,” it said.

The snow is forecast to transition to freezing rain or freezing drizzle late Friday afternoon and into the evening.

A strong cold front is forecast to blast across the state by Saturday morning, with northwest winds of 35 to 45 mph with gusts to over 50 mph possible.

The blustery winds are expected for much of the day Saturday, then weakening some Saturday night into Sunday.
Bitter cold temperatures and wind chills are forecast by Sunday where 15 to near 30 below wind chills are anticipated.

“If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency, NWS said.