6 Mar 2011 Extended Forecast

Lt Snow on the radar this morning West of Des Moines will not make it into Pow Cty today. Expect a Lt Rain/Snow Mix early Monday - then change to Lt Rain in the afternoon.  Any precip Monday will be very light.

Stormy Tues and Wed with Heavy Snow in Western and Northern Iowa (West of I-35 - North and East of I-80) - Winter Mix (POW CTY) changing to Lt Snow - Rain/Thunderstorms SE Iowa.


Today and Mon 6th/7th: Dry Today - Monday Morning Lt Rain/Snow Mix - Afternoon Lt Rain.  Highs 35-40 Low near 25
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Tues thru Thurs 8th-10th: Early Morning Rain/Snow changing to Rain/Breezy - Isolated Tstorms/Rain/Sleet Later Tues into Wed Morning - Rain/Snow Wed Morning - Lt Snow by Afternoon (1-2")- Dry Thurs. Highs 32-40. 
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Fri and Sat 11th/12th: Winter Mix Late Fri into Early Sat - then Dry.
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Sun and Mon 13th/14th: Dry Sun - Rain/Snow Mon.
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Tues and Wed 15th/16th: Dry Tues - Rain Wed.
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Thurs thru Mon 17th-21st: Rain to Snow Thurs/Fri - Then Stormy with Heavy Rains South - Snow North.




Additional comment on the upcoming Storm - this will likely be a Big One:  Early next week (Tues/Wed), a major winter storm will affect the central Rocky Mountain region and the Great Plains with heavy snow and gusty winds.

A lot of wicked weather takes place in March. Intense collisions between air masses during this month often produce colossal storms that create blizzards and floods.  Many of the worst storms on record have occurred in March.

The list includes the Great New England Blizzard of 1888 which produced 2-4 feet of snow with drifts up to 30 feet, the northern Great Plains Blizzard of 1966 that buried trains, and more recently in 1993 there was the Storm of the Century which produced over 2 feet of snow.


In addition to producing areas of drenching rain and thunderstorms, a swath of wind-driven snow will develop from part of the central Rockies to part of the Upper Midwest.  Snowfall from Wyoming and northern Colorado across Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nrn and Western Iowa will easily exceed 6 inches.

The strengthening low pressure system will also produce very windy conditions that will cause considerable blowing and drifting of snow. This raises the possibility of blizzard conditions Tuesday across part of the central Plains and the Upper Midwest.


In addition to a Plains blizzard will come the risk of a tornado outbreak and flooding problems farther to the south and east.  Stay Tuned.....