BOONE, Iowa—The National Weather Service has upgraded this weekend’s weather advisories. Boone County is now included in the a Blizzard Warning for Saturday night to Sunday evening.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Des Moines IA 351 PM CST Fri Feb 22 2019 ...Icy Tonight Into Saturday, Blizzard Conditions Saturday Evening Into Sunday... .Wintry precipitation will spread across Iowa tonight bringing areas of freezing drizzle and freezing rain to much of Iowa through Saturday morning. Freezing drizzle and freezing rain will mix with some light snow across portions of west central northwest Iowa through the day Saturday. Heavy snow and blizzard conditions are expected to develop across west central and northern Iowa Saturday evening through Sunday with wintry mixed precipitation and patchy blowing snow further south and east. There is still some uncertainty in snow amounts with a tight gradient on the north and south sides of a heavier band of snow, especially in the area along a rain/snow mix line across portions of central Iowa including the Des Moines metro area. A small shift in the track of the system will change the area of the heaviest snow axis which could lead to an expansion of the area with blizzard conditions as the track becomes more defined into Saturday. As colder air moves into Iowa Saturday evening, precipitation will change over to all snow, potentially heavy at times. Wet areas may quickly freeze Saturday evening creating icy travel conditions. Strong and gusty northwest to west winds to increase across the state Saturday night through Sunday causing areas of blowing snow and blizzard conditions especially in rural areas. Including the cities of Hampton, Webster City, Iowa Falls, Eldora, Ackley, Boone, Guthrie Center, Panora, Bayard, Casey, and Atlantic 351 PM CST Fri Feb 22 2019 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CST SATURDAY... ...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM SATURDAY TO 6 PM CST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Wintry mixed precipitation tonight into early Saturday. Snow Saturday night and Blizzard conditions Saturday night into Sunday. Ice accumulations up around one tenth of an inch through Saturday. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches expected Saturday night. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph Saturday night into Sunday. * WHERE...Central Iowa. * WHEN...For the Blizzard Warning, from 6 PM Saturday to 6 PM CST Sunday. For the Winter Weather Advisory, from 9 PM this evening to 9 AM CST Saturday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel could be very difficult tonight into Saturday and potentially impossible by Saturday night. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility to near zero at times Saturday night into Sunday. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches and power lines. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Blizzard Warning means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout conditions, making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Expect slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
