Good afternoon everyone! A “Saskatchewan Screamer” originating from Southern Canada is quickly making its way through the northern and eastern portions of IA, bringing a round of light to moderate snows as it does so. Given the fast-moving nature of this system, snows in these areas (particularly east) likely will only last through the evening before the bulk of the system pushes to the east into the Ohio Valley. We’ll also watch for an influx of moisture from the south bring precipitation chances to the southern and eastern portions of MO especially this evening into tonight.
Simulated radar through 9am CST Friday: The disturbance impacting the northern/eastern portions of IA continues to lift eastward over the next several hours. By 6pm CST this evening, the bulk of the activity will be situated over the eastern third of IA with likely a heavier dose of snow impacting the Davenport area into the evening. Moisture influx from the south will bring scattered drizzle/rain showers to the southern portions of MO, gaining coverage as the late afternoon and evening wears on. Warmer air will also be overriding a cooler surface layer, which will help to promote freezing drizzle/rain risks especially in east-central and southeastern MO this evening into the overnight. The vast majority of the snow in eastern IA will lift east by midnight tonight. Waking up Friday morning, the bulk of the freezing rain in southeastern MO should have pushed eastward along the Ohio River, but a few remaining patches will be possible just south of St. Louis. Otherwise, expect more in the way of shower activity along the southern reaches of the state.
The bulk of the snow activity will cease in central IA over the next couple of hours while the far eastern portions of the state will likely see an additional 0.5-2″ of snow before all is set and done tonight. The Davenport area has the greatest likelihood of receiving the highest accumulations of an additional ~2″ of snow. The rest of IA and especially MO will receive no additional snow from this “Saskatchewan Screamer”.
We continue to watch east-central and southeastern MO for the threat of freezing rain/drizzle concerns this evening into tonight. Here is the latest data regarding freezing rain, which shows up to a few hundredths of an inch of accretion likely. This is expected to cause some travel problems in these areas as slick roads are anticipated. While not depicted below, we also can’t rule out south-central MO receiving some freezing drizzle before a transition to mostly drizzle occurs overnight.
Progressing through the remainder of Friday, the surge of low-level moisture experienced in MO tonight will be lifting northward through the daytime hours, resulting in pockets of drizzle and scattered showers working in the northward direction across MO. Temperatures will be warming as well, so we aren’t too concerned for slick spots at this time, especially as the day progresses. With all this low-level moisture working across MO and an inversion aloft, this will promote areas of fog to also develop which could lower visibilities, starting in the evening. Overnight Friday into Saturday, expect this fog and drizzle to push into IA from the south, but locations across IA will have the risk for freezing drizzle as temperatures will be at or below 32ºF and winds won’t be substantial for fog sustainment. As the daytime hours progress Saturday, warmer air should warm all areas above freezing, putting an end to the slick road risks.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out! Have a great evening!