This one could rival the March 2007 Blizzard.
Des Moines NWS may go with a Blizzard Watch later today or tonight and The Quad Cities NWS is really talking this bad boy up:
Des Moines NWS may go with a Blizzard Watch later today or tonight and The Quad Cities NWS is really talking this bad boy up:
LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY...
...HIGH IMPACT...POTENTIALLY CRIPPLING WINTER STORM TUE/WED REMAINS
THE FORECAST CHALLENGE...
THUNDER-SNOW ALSO EVIDENT MOVING
INTO AREA TUESDAY NIGHT OVER MOST OR ALL THE REGION. SNOW EVENT
AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES REMAIN ON TAP WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS
OF 12+ INCHES...LOCALLY UP TO 15 INCHES SUGGESTED +/- 40 MILES OF A
FREEPORT TO IOWA CITY TO OTTUMWA LINE. THIS SYSTEM REMAINS ON TRACK
TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT HIGH IMPACT EVENTS IN THIS AREA FOR
SEVERAL YEARS...IF NOT LONGER.
TUESDAY...HAVE UPPED POPS WITH SNOW OVERSPREADING ALL AREA WITH SNOW
AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 4 PLUS INCHES BY EVENING.
TUESDAY NIGHT...A WILD NIGHT WITH SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES WITH THUNDER-
SNOW AND WINDS INCREASING FROM NW TO SE. LOCAL TOOLS SHOW 1 TO 2
INCH SNOWFALL RATES REMAIN PLAUSIBLE.
BLOWING SNOW
AND AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW TO OCCUR OVER ALL BUT FAR EAST SECTIONS
THAT WILL RENDER TRAVEL CONDITIONS DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE BY
DAYBREAK. MOST OF THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL OCCUR IN THIS PERIOD.
WEDNESDAY...EXTREME WINTER STORM WILL RESULT IN LARGE PERIODS AND
AREAS OF BLIZZARD CONDITIONS...POTENTIALLY CRIPPLING THE AREA. OVER A
DOZEN TOOLS INDICATE SUSTAINED WINDS AT LEAST OF 25 TO 40+ MPH WITH
GUSTS OF 50 MPH OR MORE. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 45 MPH APPEAR
QUITE PROBABLE WITH SOME GUSTS TO ~55-60 MPH. WIDESPREAD AND PROLONGED POWER OUTAGES BASED ON PAST SNOW
AMOUNTS AND WIND SPEEDS APPEAR LIKELY. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL
THROUGHOUT THE DAY INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS TO LOWER TEENS BY DUSK.
SNOW TO DIMINISH TO FLURRIES BUT WITH BLOWING SNOW WILL BE HARD TO
ASCERTAIN THE DIFFERENCE UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON MANY LOCATIONS. SNOW
DRIFTS OF 3 TO OVER 6 FEET DEEP WILL BE COMMON BY LATE AFTERNOON.
COMBINE THIS WITH PERIODS OF WHITEOUT CONDITIONS WILL MAKE TRAVEL
CONDITIONS DIFFICULT AT BEST TO IMPOSSIBLE WITH LIFE THREATENING
CONDITIONS POSSIBLE DUE TO VERY LOW WIND CHILLS BELOW ZERO BY
AFTERNOON.