Monday Storm Update

 Monday 11PM Update
Looking over the latest radar trends and guidance, I see no reason to make any major changes to the forecast.  Still looking like a good chance for some sleet to mix in with snow especially south of the Quad Cities, where temperatures a few miles above the surface will be above freezing.

Original Post
Our next storm system is expected to roll into the area Monday morning, causing some slick road conditions.  The morning commute will become tricky around 8 o'clock for the immediate Quad Cities, and just a little bit earlier off to the west.  A "Winter Weather Advisory" goes into effect at 3am Monday for Jefferson, Johnson and Washington counties [IA], while the rest of us will get in on the advisory starting at 6am.

Earlier in the weekend, we were a little concerned about freezing rain along and south of Interstate 80.  Fortunately, the storm system has been trending southward, meaning more cold air will be filtering into the system which will limit any freezing rain to far southern hometowns.  For those of us who live along and south of Interstate 80, I anticipate starting out with a sleet/snow mix around 8am (a little earlier off to the west).  Once the precip starts falling, it will cool the air just above the surface, changing all precip over to snow by mid morning.  Snowfall could be moderate to heavy at some points, reducing visibility drastically.  Travel will be difficult late morning and early afternoon.

Snow amounts will range 1-3" inches in southern hometowns where there will be a longer period of sleet mixed in.  Again, a little freezing rain is possible (esp. along and south of Hwy 34).  3-5" can be expected in the northern 2/3 of the viewing area, with a few areas picking up more than 5".  Any shift in the track in either direction could change these totals slightly.

Presidents' Day 2014 (Washington's Birthday)

Again, the bulk of the snow should be done by middle to late afternoon (west to east).  Travel may be difficult Monday night, as area road crews work to get the snow cleared off.

Tuesday is shaping up to be a nice day with mostly sunny skies and temperatures near 40°.  We'll keep temperatures near or above 40° through the rest of the week, so some of the snow that is on the ground will melt.  The bad part?  Temperatures will still drop below freezing during the overnight hours, so re-freezing could become and issues, as well as fog.  We'll cross that road when it gets here.

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