ALERT DAY FRIDAY NIGHT THROUH SATURDAY: Mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow will lead to slippery travel

Friday night through Saturday is an ALERT DAY for the likelihood of ice and snow. Travel will be affected from late Friday through most of Saturday.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY goes into effect in our north-central Iowa counties at 4 PM Friday. Winter weather headlines will likely be expanded and extended across the ABC 6 viewing area as we get closer to Friday afternoon.

This storm system will begin to affect northern Iowa late Friday afternoon and will continue into southern Minnesota Friday evening. Freezing rain, sleet, and snow are all going to be in the mix. A glaze of ice is likely with this storm system, and at any point through the duration of this storm system, we may have varying precipitation between northern Iowa and southern Minnesota.

Temperatures are going to slowly rise into the upper 20s to lower 30s Saturday afternoon, but through the duration of Saturday, temperatures will likely remain just below the freezing mark. After the past few days, ground and road temperatures are also going to be below freezing.

Despite the recent cold snap, this storm system will be pulling warmer air aloft over the ABC 6 viewing area. While it’s going to be cold at the surface level, temperatures between 5,000 feet and 10,000 feet are likely to be just above the freezing mark. As precipitation falls through this layer, it will become liquid. Some of that will continue to fall as rain, while there may also be sleet at the same time.

For others on the colder side of this storm system, there will also be some minor accumulations of snow. It’s possible there may be some isolated snowfall totals of 2-4 inches. Even in those locations, there will also be some freezing rain in the mix.

The bottom line is this: a glaze of ice is likely from late Friday through Saturday, making travel difficult to hazardous at times.

By late Sunday morning, temperatures will rise above the freezing mark and should remain there into early Sunday evening.

Some well-traveled, well-treated roadways should be in better shape than those less-traveled. Be sure to check out road conditions before you head out Saturday, and give yourself extra time to reach your destination.