Blizzard Warning Issued for Central and Northern Iowa: Dangerous Travel Expected Sunday
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning for portions of Iowa from Sunday morning through Monday morning, citing wind gusts up to 65 mph and blowing snow.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Blizzard Warning
- Affected area
- Central and Northern Iowa
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Des Moines
Winter notices differ by expected impact and timing. The original notice carries the forecast window and any travel guidance for the named area.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Central and Northern Iowa.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a Blizzard Warning for several counties across central, north central, northeast, northwest, and west central Iowa. The alert (VTEC code /O.NEW.KDMX.BZ.W.0002.260315T1200Z-260316T1200Z/) was issued on March 14 and remains in effect through Monday morning.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following Iowa counties:
- Pocahontas
- Humboldt
- Wright
- Franklin
- Butler
- Bremer
- Sac
- Calhoun
- Webster
- Hamilton
- Hardin
- Grundy
- Black Hawk
What You Should Do
Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, ensure you have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. For the latest travel conditions, residents are encouraged to check the Iowa 511 app, visit www.511ia.org, or dial 511.
Expected Conditions
A significant winter storm is expected to bring blizzard conditions to the region. Precipitation will begin as rain on Sunday morning before transitioning to a wintry mix, which may produce a light glaze of ice, before turning fully to snow.
Total snow accumulations are expected to be between 2 and 4 inches. However, the primary hazard will be strong winds, with gusts reaching 55 to 65 mph. These winds will result in significant drifting of snow and widespread blowing snow, which will severely reduce visibility. These hazardous conditions could cause tree damage and result in power outages.
Timeline
The Blizzard Warning is effective from 7:00 AM CDT on Sunday, March 15, until 7:00 AM CDT on Monday, March 16. The hazardous conditions are expected to significantly impact the Monday morning commute.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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