OTTUMWA —
With winter storms predicted to roll in today, it would have been nice to enjoy southern Iowa’s record-setting warm temperatures a little bit longer.
The potential fun was reduced by a couple of factors. For one thing, when Ottumwa hit 61 degrees Tuesday, it was around 4 a.m. Intermittent rain, dense fog and occasional thunderstorms further reduced the incentive to go run around on a “warm” January day.
The National Weather Service has predicted a far worse weather pattern for today.
“This would be a significant change from what you had seen,” said Craig Cogil, a meteorologist with the NWS Des Moines Office.
The agency predicted a winter storm with snow, cold and high winds because of two weather systems converging on Iowa.
“A cold front is moving across the state from the west,” Cogil said.
That’s lowering temperatures. And about precipitation, he said, “the storm currently producing the rain [on Tuesday] across southeast Iowa is coming from Texas. It’s now ... riding up along that cold front.”
It’s the rain from that storm combined with the chill from the cold front that prompted the winter storm watches, Cogil said, as the NWS believes we’ll see rain transition to snow.
“There could be significant snowfall, 4-6 inches, with strong winds during [today’s] morning hours.”
There’s the potential for more than just inconvenience, he warned.
“That first snowfall hitting the [initially warm roads] will melt. As the temperature continues to drop, that [water] will freeze, so traveling will probably be quite hazardous with quite a bit of ice under the snowfall.”
So with the danger of blowing snow and icy roads, is the NWS predicting any good news? Eventually.
The meteorologist said that the cold front will move through, then out of, southeast Iowa. It’ll be replaced by an “arctic air mass.” When told that sounded even worse than a cold front, he agreed.
“The arctic air mass will produce lower temperatures,” he said. “By Thursday morning, we’re expecting lows in the single digits.”
It could stay like that most of Thursday.
“The ‘good news’ is that overall, the cold snap should be relatively brief,” Cogil said. “It will get warmer as we head into the weekend.”
Wapello County
Blowing snow, freezing cold and icy roads
Weather forecasters warn of potential for dangerous conditions
- Wapello County
-
-
Agency couple has provided foster care for 38 kids in last decade
AGENCY — School pictures of 38 grinning children look out into Angie and Terry Hamm's living room, evidence of the years of work and love they've given to those who needed it most. Their house — currently filled with five children, ages 7, 10, 10, 11
-
Severe weather returns to forecast
OTTUMWA — The National Weather Service believes severe weather could return to Iowa this weekend. The storms are expected to arrive late in the weekend and could extend into the next work week. Meteorologist Kurt Kotenberg said Sunday and Monday have
-
Health clinic in Ottumwa joins Mercy Medical
OTTUMWA — Though their future was uncertain, two local health care practices will continue without any interruption in services to patients and will remain at their current locations in Ottumwa. Ottumwa Internal Medicine North and Ottumwa Family Prac
- 90th Street closed until 2014 OTTUMWA — Not only is 90th Street closed for this summer, it's also closed until the summer of 2014. Wapello County Engineer Brian Moore said Wednesday that the road will be closed for a year while Moore and his team work on the road's design. "There
-
Iowa Supreme Court rejects appeal
DES MOINES – The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected an appeal bid by a Wapello County man previously found to be a sexually violent predator. Cory Blake West was convicted of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse in 2008. He was sentenced to four y
- Board to discuss DHS contract and tourism letter OTTUMWA — Wapello County Supervisor Greg Kenning said a contract with Department of Human Services (DHS) will probably be the main event when the board meets at 5:30 p.m. today in the Wapello County Courthouse. He indicated the DHS contract will pro
-
SLIDESHOW: Race for the Cure
OTTUMWA -- This year's Race for the Cure faced unusually chilly weather, but that didn't deter people from turning out. The annual event brought in runners from across the region.
-
Race for the Cure endures chilly weekend
OTTUMWA -- Hundreds of people endured cold winds Saturday in Ottumwa Park. Why would they do this? Because the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure was there. They crowded into the Jimmy Jones Shelter House and waited for an event, whether it was the one-mile Family Run/Walk, the Co-Ed 5K Run/Walk or the Kids' Fun Run.
- Official emphasizes routine mammograms, self-exams OTTUMWA —The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure starts at 7 a.m. Saturday in the Jimmy Jones Shelter in Ottumwa Park, and Lynelle Diers hopes everyone will "keep up mammograms." Diers, the executive director of Wapello County Public Health, said Thursd
-
Community health nurses treat and teach
OTTUMWA — Pick up somebody's gross germs from a doorknob, and there are plenty of nurses who will treat the resulting cold. But some nurses will add in a lesson on hand washing. "We're teaching things to avoid communicable illness," said Jacquelyn Po
- More Wapello County Headlines
-
