URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA

905 PM CST FRI FEB 3 2012

…HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL TO SOUTHWEST IOWA BEGINNING OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH SATURDAY…

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK INTO THE MIDWEST TONIGHT. RAIN WILL MIX WITH AND EVENTUALLY CHANGE OVER TO SNOW OVERNIGHT AND INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. A MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY BAND OF SNOW WILL SET UP FROM CENTRAL TO WEST CENTRAL IA

CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-BOONE-STORY-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…DENISON…CARROLL…JEFFERSON…BOONE…AMES…AUDUBON…GUTHRIE CENTER…ADEL…DES MOINES…ATLANTIC…GREENFIELD…WINTERSET…CORNING…CRESTON

905 PM CST FRI FEB 3 2012

…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM CST SUNDAY…

* TIMING…A GRADUAL TRANSITION FROM RAIN TO SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE THIS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. MUCH OF THE WARNED AREA WILL SEE ALL SNOW BY SATURDAY MORNING. A NARROW BAND OF HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO SET UP ACROSS CENTRAL IOWA DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY. SNOW WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH SATURDAY EVENING.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW…SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. HEAVIEST TOTALS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE WARNED AREA.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY…NORTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH A FEW HIGHER GUSTS WILL CAUSE VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND DRIFTING OF SNOW ON SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT.

* IMPACTS…HEAVY SNOW WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. THE FALLING SNOW…COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS…WILL LEAD TO REDUCED VISIBILITIES. ROADS WILL LIKELY BECOME SLIPPERY AS THE WET SNOW FREEZES TO THE PAVEMENT.

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 YOU BECOME STRANDED.

CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-BOONE-STORY-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-
CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTIES
336 PM CST FRI FEB 3 2012

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM
CST SUNDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT TO 6 AM CST SUNDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT.

* TIMING...A GRADUAL TRANSITION FROM RAIN TO SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE
  THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. MUCH OF THE WARNED AREA
  WILL SEE ALL SNOW BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. A NARROW BAND OF
  HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO SET UP ACROSS CENTRAL IOWA DURING THE
  DAY ON SATURDAY. SNOW WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH SATURDAY EVENING.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES WITH
  LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. 6 to 9 INCHES IS POSSIBLE OVER
  MONONA, HARRISON, SHELBY AND POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTIES. 
 * WINDS/VISIBILITY...NORTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH A FEW
  HIGHER GUSTS WILL CAUSE VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND DRIFTING OF
  SNOW ON SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT.

* IMPACTS...HEAVY SNOW WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS ACROSS THE
  WARNED AREA. THE FALLING SNOW...COMBINED WITH STRONG
  WINDS...WILL LEAD TO REDUCED VISIBILITIES. ROADS WILL LIKELY
  BECOME SLIPPERY AS THE WET SNOW FREEZES TO THE PAVEMENT.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM 6AM SATURDAY UNTIL
MIDNIGHT SATURDAY, FOR FREMONT & PAGE COUNTIES, AND FROM MIDNIGHT FRIDAY 
TO 6AM SUNDAY FOR RINGGOLD AND TAYLOR COUNTIES. 

Police in Harlan said today (Friday), three people were arrested over the past week. On January 27th, 47-year old Jeffery Erlbacher, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on drug charges, following a traffic stop. Erlbacher was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Prohibted Acts penalties, carrying weapons, and Possession of contraband in a controlled facility. Erlbacher has entered a plea of not guilty to the Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charge. He posted a $2,000 bond and is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on February 16th.

Two days earlier, 39-year old Jason Nielsen, of Harlan, was taken into custody on a charge of Public Intoxication/2nd offense, after police responded to a report of an allegedly intoxicated person attempting to drive away from the 500 block of Market Street. Nielsen allegedly refused several offers to take him home. Nielsen posted a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Feb. 14th.

And, on January 31st, 63-year old Karen Burgin, of Blair, NE, was arrested on a charge of reckless driving and for violation of a one-way traffic designation. Additional charges are pending. Burgin was taken into custody, after she was observed allegedly hitting several mailboxes with a vehicle, ran over a stop sign, and eventually hit another vehicle while traveling the wrong way in the 1500 block of Laurel Street, in Harlan. Damage from the incident amounted to $17,000. Burgin plead guilty to the charges and was ordered to pay a $300 in fines, plus court costs.

Greenfield Republican Representative Clel Baudler says he was pleased the Iowa House this week approved a resolution that would overturn a ban on the use of lead shot, when hunting doves.  Baudler and others who backed the resolution, say the Natural Resources Commission overstepped its authority in July 2011, when it wrote rules governing the hunting of doves, which was legalized by the legislature last year. The resolution was approved by a vote of 68 to 27 Thursday, and now goes on to the Senate, where approval is likely.

Baulder says “It’s a very emotional issue for some people, but if we don’t keep our legislative authority, we’ll just govern by commissions that are appointed, not elected. This is not the way our government works, or should work.” He says approval of the resolution should “Send a message to our un-elected commissions, that those commissions should work with legislators,”  or the legislators will overturn their authority.

Backers of the ban on lead shot say other animals can eat the lead shot, and that can lead to their sickness or even death.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A 24-year-old Texas man who wanted to release minks from Sioux City farm has been given five years in prison. Victor Vanorden had pleaded guilty to trying to release the minks and to attempted burglary. Court records say Vanorden’s two-year term on the burglary charge are to be served at the same time as the five years on the other charge. Vanorden also was ordered to pay nearly $8,800 in restitution to the farm’s owner.

Vanorden and a companion, 21-year-old Kellie Marshall, were found in a soybean field in October before they could release the animals. Officers found fences nearby that had been cut.  Marshall has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial on March 6th.  Vanorden and Marshall are from Austin, Texas.

w/ Ric Hanson

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 MINNETONKA, Minn. (AP) – Michael Foods, of Minnetonka, Minn., is recalling hard-cooked eggs in brine sold in 10- and 25-pound pails to food distributors and manufacturers for institutional use in 34 states, including: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

An update on flood recovery efforts in western Iowa is on the agenda as the State Interagency Missouri River Authority meets today (Friday) in Des Moines. Chuck Gipp, deputy director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the process of cleaning up all of the damage and rebuilding after last year’s summer-long flood is far from over. Gipp says, “It’s how you help people recover from that event is the biggest struggle that we have and also to see if there’s anything we can do to avoid a repeat of that in the future.” The authority makes recommendations on policies affecting the Missouri River.

Besides the DNR, groups involved include the state departments of Homeland Security and Agriculture as well as federal agencies, like FEMA and the U-S Army Corps of Engineers. Gipp says making repairs to the damaged floodwalls all along the river is a high priority. “The levees are an important part of that because people were accustomed to going behind the levees,” Gipp says. “They were told, initially, that what’s going to occur after the six major dam and reservoirs were built upstream. I guess that Mother Nature told us that you can maybe delay it but you can’t get rid of the flooding aspect.”

Gipp says much of the DNR’s role is to help state and federal agencies coordinate during the recovery process.  “A lot of what we do, especially when it comes to levee issues, flood plain issues, is depending on the Corps and FEMA and the reimbursement for that,” Gipp says. “I think there’s a good coordination. Some of that was learned simply because of the experiences on the east side of the state in 2008.” He says the panel will also discuss current and potential hydrologist roles and responsibilities in the state.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Police in Red Oak say 41-year old Donald Evan McFarland, of Red Oak, was arrested Thursday afternoon on an assault charge. McFarland was taken into custody in the 1200 Block of East Summit Street, on a charge of Serious Assault, at around 4:35-p.m.  He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.