OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A spring storm has slathered a heavy icing of slushy snow on parts of eastern Nebraska and western and north-central Iowa.  Our 24-hour snowfall total in Atlantic as of 7-a.m. was 2-inches.

In the past 12 hours, more than 6 inches has been recorded in isolated parts of Iowa, including Harrison County near Omaha, Neb., and along the Minnesota border in northern Iowa.  Nebraska totals are generally lower.

National Weather Service meteorologist Josh Boustead called the May storm “really, really unusual.”  He says that in Omaha, for example, measurable snow has fallen only four times since 1884.  The storm is moving east and is expected to lay a wet blanket on Des Moines later Thursday.

The (Podcast) forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area, weather announcements and stats for Atlantic….

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The counties highlighted in purple are in a Winter Weather Advisory.Predicted snowfall amounts through Saturday:

48 Hour snowfall forecast

COUNTIES: GREENE-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR
414 AM CDT THU MAY 2 2013

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HEAVY WET SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1
PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON.

* SHORT TERM TRENDS...SNOW OR A MIX OF RAIN SLEET AND SNOW WILL
  SWITCH TO ALL SNOW IN THE MORNING HOURS AND CONTINUE THROUGH
  EARLY THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...3 TO 5 INCHES WITH LOCALLY
  HIGHER AMOUNTS. SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO NEAR 2 INCHES PER HOUR
  CAN BE EXPECTED AT TIMES AND SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE QUICKLY.
  THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO OCCUR AND WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HIGHER
  SNOWFALL AMOUNTS.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY...A NORTH WIND AT 20 TO 35 MPH WILL REDUCE
  VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN A HALF MILE AT TIMES.

* IMPACTS...ROADS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLUSHY
  AS THE SNOW INTENSIFIES THIS MORNING. HEAVY WET SNOW MAY
  ACCUMULATE ON POWER LINES AND LEAFY TREES...WHICH MAY LEAD TO
  DAMAGE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

Today: Snow before 2pm, then a chance of rain between 2pm and 3pm, then a chance of snow after 3pm. High near 40. Windy, with a north wind 20 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
Tonight: Rain and snow likely, becoming all snow after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Breezy, with a north wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday: Snow likely before 10am, then rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 42. Breezy, with a north wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Friday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 35. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday: A 50 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 47. North northeast wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57.

COUNTIES: HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS 339 AM CDT THU MAY 2 2013

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING…

* TIMING...SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH TO FLURRIES AND SPRINKLES EARLY THIS MORNING.

* ACCUMULATIONS...LITTLE ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED.

* IMPACTS...ROADS WILL REMAIN SLUSHY AND SLICK MAKING TRAVEL DIFFICULT FOR THE MORNING COMMUTE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW…SLEET…OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

COUNTIES: MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE– 339 AM CDT THU MAY 2 2013

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA/VALLEY HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND SLEET…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING.

* TIMING…A MIX OF SNOW AND SLEET WILL CONTINUE EARLY THIS MORNING BEFORE DIMINISHING TO FLURRIES AFTER 10 AM.

* ACCUMULATIONS...SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND AN INCH ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA.

* IMPACTS…ROADS MAY BECOME SLUSHY AND SLICK. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW…SLEET…OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

Roads covered with a thick layer of slush are making travel hazardous early this (Thursday) morning, here in western Iowa. The DOT’s 511ia.org website shows most roads along and north of Highway 92 and west of Highway 148 (Anita to Massena), west into Pottawattamie County, are completely covered with snow/ice/slush. Some semi’s were having trouble early this morning. One jacknifed on I-80, while another had trouble making it up the hill on  Olive Street in Cass County, just south of I-80, at around 3:45-a.m.

In Atlantic, snow was falling at 4-a.m. Roads were lightly covered with the heavy, wet snow.

208 AM CDT THU MAY 2 2013

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING…

* SHORT TERM TRENDS...SNOW OR A MIX OF RAIN SLEET AND SNOW WILL SWITCH TO ALL SNOW IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS AND CONTINUE THROUGH MID THURSDAY MORNING.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...3 TO 5 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO NEAR 2 INCHES PER HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED AT TIMES AND SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE QUICKLY. THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO OCCUR AND WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HIGHER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY…A NORTH WIND AT 20 TO 35 MPH WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN A HALF MILE AT TIMES.

* IMPACTS...ROADS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLUSHY AS THE SNOW INTENSIFIES THIS EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

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

A band of moderate to locally heavy snow is forecast to bring 3 to 5 inches across western to north central portions of Iowa this evening into Thursday morning. Some locally higher snow amounts are possible over far north-central portions of the state. Rain will gradually switch over to snow further southeast mid to late evening from Mason City to Denison line. All rain is expected across central to southern Iowa tonight into Thursday. Another round of snow is forecast to develop Thursday night into Friday over central and northern Iowa.