Today: Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 40. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 23. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 27. Light east southeast wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the evening.

Tuesday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 46. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Tuesday Night: Areas of fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 38.
Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 52. Breezy.

A deep freeze is setting in across the Midwest with low temperatures forecast in the single digits and a few below zero, turning the season’s first major snow into ice that made some roads treacherous to travel.

After snow on Friday and Saturday across much of the region, temperatures plunged behind the front on Sunday. The National Weather Service forecast 20 degrees or lower across six states from North Dakota to Illinois. Fargo, North Dakota could dip to 11 degrees by early Sunday. Madison, Wisconsin could see 7 degrees, Des Moines 12 and Chicago 9.

Parts of Iowa, northwest Illinois and southern Wisconsin could reach zero or below, the weather service said.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa residents are digging out from under more than a foot of snow in some places, while roads over all but the southwest portion of the state remain impassable or partially blocked. The National Weather Service says a wintry storm that began dropping snow on the state Friday dumped between 6 and 12 inches overnight on much of Iowa.

Officials say the heaviest snow fell between around Highway 20 in the Cedar Falls and Waterloo areas. Craig Bargfrede with the Iowa Department of Transportation told the Des Moines Register that plow crews worked through the night and were still working Saturday to clear roads.

Temperatures for most of the state will range from 20 to 25 degrees Saturday, with wind chills in the teens and single digits.

Today: Sunny, with a high near 26. Wind chill values as low as 10. North wind 7 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 15. Wind chill values as low as 5. West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming south in the evening.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 40. Wind chill values as low as 5. West southwest wind 6 to 13 mph.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24. West wind 6 to 11 mph.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 42. West wind around 6 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 40. We received 1.5-inches of snow here at the KJAN studios Friday. The snow-rain mix resulted in a liquid precipitation value of .14″.

Green: Seasonal travel conditions

Blue: Partially covered with snow (watch out for icy bridges)

Pink: Completely covered with snow, ice or slush. (go to 511.ia.org for the latest info., or call 5-1-1 in Iowa)

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2-PM FRIDAY UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY FOR AUDUBON-GUTHRIE AND DALLAS COUNTIES;  FROM 3-PM FRIDAY THROUGH 3-AM SATURDAY FOR MONONA, HARRISON AND SHELBY COUNTIES, AND FROM 10-AM FRIDAY THROUGH 6-AM SATURDAY FOR SAC-CRAWFORD-AND CARROLL COUNTIES.

* TIMING…SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE
AFTERNOON HOURS AND MAY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE LATE
AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING COMMUTE.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…6 TO 10 INCHES POSSIBLE.

* WINDS/VISIBILITIES…VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN
ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES IN FALLING SNOW. IN ADDITION…WINDS OF
15 TO 25 MPH MAY PRODUCE MINOR BLOWING AND DRIFTING…AND ALSO
HELP CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCED VISIBILITIES.

* IMPACTS…THE COMBINATION OF SLUSHY AND SNOW COVERED ROADS WILL
LEAD TO HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS…INCLUDING DURING THE
FRIDAY EVENING COMMUTE. TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY BECOME
TREACHEROUS AT TIMES.

MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TODAY AND TONIGHT. .THE FIRST WINTER STORM OF THE SEASON WILL IMPACT A LARGE PORTION OF IOWA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SNOW HAS BEGUN ACROSS NORTHWESTERN AND
NORTHERN IOWA AND WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. BREEZY NORTHERLY WINDS FRIDAY NIGHT MAY CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2-PM FRIDAY UNTIL 6 AM CST SATURDAY FOR CASS-ADAIR-ADAMS-UNION COUNTIES, AND FROM 3-PM FRIDAY UNTIL 3-AM SATURDAY FOR POTTAWATTAMIE AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES.

* TIMING…THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AS RAIN BEFORE
TRANSITIONING TO SNOW BY MID TO LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON THEN
CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. THE SNOW MAY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…3 TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE.

* WINDS/VISIBILITIES…VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN
ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES IN FALLING SNOW. IN ADDITION…WINDS OF
15 TO 25 MPH MAY PRODUCE MINOR BLOWING AND DRIFTING…AND ALSO
HELP CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCED VISIBILITIES.

* IMPACTS…THE COMBINATION OF SLUSHY AND SNOW COVERED ROADS MAY LEAD TO HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS…INCLUDING DURING THE
FRIDAY EVENING COMMUTE. TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY BECOME
HAZARDOUS AT TIMES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW
WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

(Information current as of 8:30-a.m. 11/20)

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY (which replaces a Winter Storm Watch) is in effect from 2-pm today (Friday) until 6-am Saturday, for Cass, Adair, Adams and Union Counties. The Advisory is in effect from 3-p.m today until 3-am Saturday, for Pottawattamie and Montgomery Counties. 3-to 6-inches of snow are possible in the Advisory area.

A WINTER STORM WARNING remains in effect from 3-pm today to 3-a.m. Saturday, for Monona, Harrison and Shelby Counties, from 2-p.m. today until 6-am Saturday for Audubon, Guthrie and Dallas Counties, and from 10-am today until 6-am Saturday, for Sac, Crawford and Carroll Counties. 6-to 10-inches of snow are possible in the warned area.

Forecasters say a wide section of Iowa may get walloped by its first significant snowstorm later today (Friday), so motorists need to take a few precautions, pronto. Ann Avery, the Iowa spokeswoman for State Farm Insurance, says an emergency kit is a must for your vehicle’s trunk. “With the first snowfall of the season coming and Thanksgiving travel beginning for many families, now is a great time to think about looking in your trunk and taking out the things you’ve been using all summer that you won’t be using this winter and making sure you have emergency travel supplies,” Avery says, “so if you are on the road and something unexpected happens, you will be prepared.”

There are several staples that should be in everyone’s vehicle, before the winter winds start whipping. “Some of the things include: jumper cables and making sure you have an ice scraper back in the car,” Avery says. “Check the spare tire, make sure it’s in the car and that it’s at the proper inflation. Be sure you have blankets, extra warm clothing. A cell phone charger — we depend on that cell phone. If you get into an emergency, make sure you are able to charge it.”

Other helpful items to have handy include: road salt or cat litter to help with tire traction, a flashlight (with working batteries), matches or a lighter, duct tape, a small tool kit and a tow strap. Avery offers a few more suggestions. “A first aid kit, water, food that won’t expire in the trunk, and crucial medications,” Avery says. “If you should get caught and stuck on the side of the road, you want to make sure you have those medications.” If there’s a teenage driver under your roof, Avery says you should talk to them about the importance of this kit.

“Our information shows a lot of teens reported not having all the necessary supplies they need in their trunk,” Avery says. “Check the car the teen is using as well. Have them put the emergency kit together with you so they see what goes into it and understand why it’s all there.” Other items that you might consider for your emergency kit are: a hazard triangle with reflectors, flares, a brightly-colored flag or “HELP” sign, and a tarp for sitting or kneeling in the snow for doing exterior work like a tire change.

(Radio Iowa)