The National Weather Service, Tuesday, upgraded the Winter Storm Watch for much of Iowa to a Winter Storm Warning. Meteorologist Jeff Johnson says it may be the biggest single snow storm to hit the state since December 2009. The snow is expected to arrive in western Iowa tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon, with heavy snow falling across Iowa by the evening hours. “And then, as the event unfolds and we get into Thursday morning, the winds will pick up out of the north. On Thursday morning, around sunrise, we should have sustained winds of 30 miles per hour with gusts into the lower 40s along with some continuing falling snow,” Johnson says. “That will cause near-blizzard conditions, especially in the open areas.”

If there are stronger winds, Johnson says a Blizzard Warning could be issued. A small section of northwest Iowa could miss out on the storm, while north-central Iowa may only receive a few inches of snow. But, the high winds could still cause problems. The snow is expected to exit the state, along with the strong winds, sometime Thursday afternoon. Snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches or higher are possible through southwest, central and northeast Iowa. Cold conditions will accompany the storm with highs in the 20s Thursday and Friday and low temperatures Friday morning in the single digits and teens.

(Radio Iowa)  National Weather Service http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dmx/

THE ENTIRE KJAN LISTENING AREA IS UNDER A WINTER STORM WARNING WEDNESDAY AND PARTS OF THURSDAY. THE WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT IN THE FAR WEST AND SOUTHWEST COUNTIES (INCLUDING MONONA, HARRISON, SHELBY, POTTAWATTAMIE, MILLS, MONTGOMERY, FREMONT AND PAGE) FROM 3-PM WED. TO 6-AM THURSDAY. THIS REPLACES THE WINTER STORM WATCH WHICH HAD BEEN IN EFFECT. THE WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FROM 4-PM WEDNESDAY UNTIL NOON THURSDAY, FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA.

LIGHT SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS WEDNESDAY, THEN TURN HEAVY BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH MIDNIGHT BEFORE BEFORE DECREASING.

SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…5 TO 8 INCHES ARE LIKELY.

WINDS…NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH BY LATE AFTERNOON WITH NORTH WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH AND GUSTS TO 40 MPH EXPECTED INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.

IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND POOR VISIBILITIES FROM LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY MORNING. WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN SOME LOCATIONS.

SAC-CALHOUN-WEBSTER-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-BOONE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE- DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON–ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD–

324 PM CST TUE DEC 18 2012 .

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM WEDNESDAY TO NOON CST THURSDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE COUNTIES MENTIONED ABOVE. A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR COUNTIES IN FAR WEST AND SOUTHWEST IOWA FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE WED. NIGHT.

TIMING…PRECIPITATION WILL OVERSPREAD CENTRAL IOWA LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SNOW IS EXPECTED ALONG AND NORTH OF AN ATLANTIC THROUGH JEFFERSON LINE. RAIN IS EXPECTED IN SOUTHERN IOWA SOUTH OF A BEDFORD TO OSCEOLA LINE. IN BETWEEN…A RAIN AND SNOW MIX IS EXPECTED. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO ALL SNOW LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING BEFORE ENDING ON THURSDAY MORNING.

STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION…6 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED BY THURSDAY MORNING. THE HEAVIEST SNOW AXIS WILL BE ALONG A LINE FROM ATLANTIC TO ADEL. THE LOWEST AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED NEAR THE MISSOURI BORDER. SNOW DRIFTS SEVERAL FEET DEEP WILL BE POSSIBLE GIVEN THE STRONG WINDS.

WINDS/VISIBILITY…WINDS WILL BECOME VERY STRONG WEDNESDAY NIGHT FROM THE NORTH NORTHWEST. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH GUSTS OVER 45 MPH POSSIBLE. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED A FEW HOURS PRIOR TO DAYBREAK THROUGH NOON THURSDAY. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS MAY OCCUR WITH VISIBILITIES REDUCED BELOW ONE QUARTER OF A MILE FROM TIME TO TIME.

IMPACTS...VERY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. BE PREPARED FOR VERY DIFFICULT TRAVEL AND NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS. THIS WARNING MAY NEED TO BE UPGRADED TO A BLIZZARD WARNING SHOULD FORECAST CONDITIONS WARRANT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL…KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD…AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

Area residents are being invited to join the Cass County Conservation Department’s staff at the Schildberg Quarry in Atlantic, for the annual “Soiree with the Swans.” The event takes place Saturday, January 5^th 2013.  CCCS staff will be giving ten-minute presentations regarding the Trumpeter Swans every half-hour beginning at 11:00 a.m. with the last one being presented at 2:00 p.m. There will also be time to view the swans through spotting scopes and witness random swan feeding sessions. Hot chocolate, cookies, grilled hotdogs, and other snacks will be provided free of charge with donations being accepted (for swan care).

The Schildberg Quarry is located on the northwest edge of Atlantic, on the north side of Highway 83. Officials say if the weather is bad that day, or, if the swans are not at the quarry, the program will be held at the Atlantic Public Library from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m., with a light lunch available.

This event is being sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Atlantic Public Library.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The generosity of an Iowa native will mean swimming lessons for more than 2,000 Omaha-area kids. Omaha television station KETV reports that Charles Lakin of southwest Iowa helped organize and pay for the Charles E. Lakin Learn to Swim program.  Lakin says he made the donation after learning of the near-drowning of a child at a summer program in Omaha earlier this year.

All of the lessons are free. Lakin also provides a swimsuit and towel for those children in need. Omaha parent LaTia Miller says she would not be able to afford swimming lessons for her children and appreciates Lakin’s generosity.

The federal Centers for Disease Control reports an average of 10 U.S. deaths a day from drowning.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Iowa officials are asking residents to avoid a certain vine when decorating holiday wreathes. The Council Bluffs Nonpareil reports the state Department of Natural Resources wants residents to avoid using the Oriental bittersweet vine. Officials say its viable seeds are capable of spreading the unwanted plant.

The woody vine that’s native to Asia has bright red berries along the length of the stem. The aggressive plant can either kill a tree or slow its growth by blocking light from the forest canopy.   Officials recommend using the American bittersweet vine that’s native to Iowa. It is similar in appearance to the Oriental, but its fruit is at the tip of the stem.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold the second of two public hearings Wednesday morning, and act on adopting an Amended Ordinance, both of which pertain to the Amaizing Energy TIF District.

Ordinance 28, which provides for the Division of Taxes levied on taxable property in the Amaizing Energy Urban Renewal Area, proposes that certain property included in the definition of an “Urban Renewal Area” in the ordinance, be deleted from that definition. The first reading was approved following a similar hearing last week.

The Board will also discuss and possibly accept a proposal from Carlson, West and Povandra architects, as it pertains to a courthouse space and needs study. They’ll also set the date or dates and time for a hearing and adoption of an amendment to Ordinance number three, pertaining to zoning.

The Supervisors meeting begins at 9-a.m.

1115 AM CST TUE DEC 18 2012

…WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON…

* TIMING…PRECIPITATION WILL OVERSPREAD CENTRAL IOWA WEDNESDAYAFTERNOON. SNOW IS EXPECTED ALONG AND NORTH OF AN ATLANTIC THROUGH BOONE TO WATERLOO LINE. RAIN IS EXPECTED IN SOUTHERN IOWA SOUTH OF A BEDFORD TO OSKALOOSA LINE. IN BETWEEN…A RAIN AND SNOW MIX IS EXPECTED. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO ALL SNOW LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING BEFORE ENDING THURSDAY MORNING.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION…5 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE WATCH AREA. LOCAL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 10 INCHES WILL BE VERY POSSIBLE WITH DRIFTS EVEN HIGHER.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY…WINDS WILL BECOME VERY STRONG WEDNESDAY NIGHT FROM THE NORTH NORTHWEST. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 33 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH GUSTS OVER 45 MPH POSSIBLE. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED A FEW HOURS PRIOR TO DAYBREAK THROUGH NOON THURSDAY. BLIZZARD OR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
MAY OCCUR WITH VISIBILITIES REDUCED BELOW ONE QUARTER OF A MILE FROM TIME TO TIME.

* IMPACTS...VERY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. BE PREPARED FOR VERY DIFFICULT TRAVEL AND BLIZZARD OR NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL…IN THIS CASE SNOW. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS. IF FORECAST CONFIDENCE REGARDING THE STRONG WINDS CONTINUES TO INCREASE…THIS WATCH MAY BE UPGRADED TO A BLIZZARD WATCH TODAY.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The amount of water flowing into the lower Missouri River will be increased this week because of concerns about colder temperatures, but the increase isn’t likely to boost the level of the Mississippi River downstream. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it plans to gradually increase the amount of water it releases out of Gavins Point dam on the South Dakota-Nebraska border to 18,000 cubic feet per second by Thursday.  That’s an increase of 4,000 cubic feet per second over current levels.

The corps’ Jody Farhat says the change is needed because ice will begin forming on the river with the cold weather and reduce the flow. The additional water will make sure the river remains high enough for cities that rely on its water.

A Monroe County, Indiana man, whose last known address was in Underwood, Iowa, was sentenced Monday to serve two-years in prison for failing to register with the Sex Offender Registry. United States District Court Chief Judge James E. Gritzner also ordered 64-year old Steven Wayne Kizer to serve a five-year term of supervised release following incarceration.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, says on November 1st, 2012, Kizer entered a guilty plea to failing to register with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, as required when he began residing in a rural part of the county. In July of 2012, law enforcement determined that Kizer had been residing in Pott. County, under the name of Samuel Mitiouti. He did so for about three months, without registering with the Sheriff’s Office, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.  Kizer was required to register with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office as a result of an aggravated sexual assault of a child conviction out of the State of Texas.

Authorities determined Kizer had a felony warrant for his arrest out of Monroe County , Indiana, and that he was attempting to elude arrest. The investigation was conducted by the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshal’s Service. It was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.