Winter storm to begin today

Winter storm to begin today

Southern end of Floyd, Chickasaw could be hit hardest

Stocking cap with a yarn ball on top? Check. Snow shovels in good repair? Check.

Whatever your winter storm preparation checklist looks like, you might still have time to get through it.

A winter storm warning is in effect for northeast Iowa, including Floyd and Chickasaw counties. A potentially heavy snowfall is expected to begin this afternoon and continue into Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

The snow will move in form the west and spread east into southwest Wisconsin. Between 4 and 8 inches of accumulation is possible. The south end of Floyd and Chickasaw counties could receive much more than the north, the weather service said.

This storm warning comes on the tail of a sharp drop in temperatures since Tuesday when the area saw highs in the mid-50s, according to weather service data. By Thursday at 4:35, the temp droped to the 36 degrees. Thursday also saw steady winds often above 30 mph with gusts as high as 48 mph around 2 p.m.

By Chris Baldus cbaldus@charlescitypress.com