Potential Ice Storm Late This Weekend

TIMING

Well, the good news is most of the weekend should be dry. Precipitation will likely begin Sunday evening from southwest to northeast across the state. The most likely time for freezing rain/ice looks to be Sunday night and early Monday morning.

PRECIPITATION TYPE

There could be a brief period of light snow before the transition to freezing rain. Models are indicating a widespread ice event in parts of the Midwest, but conditions have to be just right for freezing rain. Across central and southern Iowa, temperatures will likely rise above freezing by midday Monday. There will then be a transition to rain across much of the area, with the exception of the far north where it may not get warm enough for rain.

ACCUMULATIONS

The biggest question mark is the amount of ice that accumulates in eastern Iowa. This is a question that will not be answered for several days, but trends are pointing toward areas north of Highway 30 for the highest accumulations.