Winter Storm Watch for Iowa City: Seven Inches of Snow Possible in Thursday Storm

What a difference a day makes.

With the storm far away earlier in the week, forecasters were saying it was more likely that snow fall in the Eastern Iowa range would fall in the three to six inch range, but they warned that this might change as the storm got closer.

Change it has: with more snow now expected.

Tuesday night the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities indicated that Johnson County was among many in Eastern Iowa under a Winter Storm Watch from Thursday through Friday.

...SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM TO ARRIVE ON THURSDAY... .STRONG LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND INTO THE MIDWEST ON THURSDAY. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL DEVELOP IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST IOWA AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI BY NOON THURSDAY. THE SNOW WILL THEN SPREAD INTO NORTHEAST IOWA AND WESTERN ILLINOIS LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER ALL THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT AND DIMINISH ON FRIDAY. ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 7 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER MOST OF THE AREA. EAST WINDS SHOULD INCREASE THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY NIGHT AND WILL BE GUSTING TO AROUND 30 MPH. THIS WILL PRODUCE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW.

The National Weather Service predicts that temperatures should be in the 20s and high winds could reduce visibility to less than a mile, the roads ice and snow covered.

The snow may still then change into freezing rain at some point as it moves into Friday.

The KGAN weather team concurs as well:

Wednesday will still be chilly, but calmer with winds only 5-10 mph. The wind will crank up again Thursday as a new winter storm moves into the Midwest. Travel will become difficult Thursday afternoon as moderate to heavy snow starts falling in the Corridor. Snow will start after 1:00 p.m. with the heaviest snow falling between 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The storm will weaken late Thursday night, but light snow is still possible through Friday. There is also a chance for some freezing drizzle Friday morning.

Good news remains, however, as the Weather Underground 10-day forecast indicates warmer temperatures next week, with highs in the mid 30s to almost 40 degrees.