47 AM CST FRI FEB 3 2012 NWS/Valley NE

…HEAVY SNOW TO HIT THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY…

A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND SATURDAY…AFFECTING WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEBRASKA TODAY…THEN EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. SNOW COULD BEGIN AS EARLY AS FRIDAY EVENING IN PARTS OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA…BUT WILL REALLY BEGIN TO ACCUMULATE FRIDAY NIGHT.

FOR MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE COUNTIES IN IA…

WINTER STORM WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING...

RAIN WILL GRADUALLY CHANGE OVER TO SNOW ACROSS THE AREA EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. SNOW IS EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY SATURDAY WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL OCCURRING SATURDAY MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL VARY FROM NEAR 4 TO 7 INCHES WITH THE HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NORTH ALONG THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR. THE TIMING OF THE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW WILL AFFECT SNOW AMOUNTS GREATLY. IF THE CHANGE STARTS EARLIER IN THE NIGHT…SNOW AMOUNTS COULD BE SEVERAL MORE INCHES THAN FORECAST. TRAVEL WILL BECOME DIFFICULT SATURDAY MORNING OVER THE AREA AND SOME BLOWING SNOW COULD DEVELOP. THE COMBINATION OF SNOWFALL AND WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO A HALF MILE OR LESS AT TIMES.