Winter Storm Warning Issued for Central and Northeastern Iowa: 5 to 8 Inches of Snow Expected
This alert is no longer in effect.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 Winter Storm Warning for central and northeastern Iowa, forecasting heavy snow and difficult travel conditions starting Thursday evening.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Winter Storm Warning
- Affected area
- Central and Northeastern Iowa
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Des Moines IA
Storm notices can cover different combinations of wind, hail, lightning, and rainfall. Use the original notice for the hazards and boundaries attached to this specific record.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Central and Northeastern Iowa.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a Winter Storm Warning for portions of central and northeastern Iowa. The alert was issued at 10:45 AM CST on February 19 and remains in effect until 6:00 AM CST on February 20.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following Iowa counties:
- Franklin
- Butler
- Bremer
- Hamilton
- Hardin
- Grundy
- Black Hawk
- Story
- Marshall
- Tama
- Polk
What You Should Do
Residents are advised that travel could be very difficult, particularly during the Thursday evening commute. If you must travel, the National Weather Service recommends keeping an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. For the latest travel conditions, residents should check the Iowa 511 app, visit www.511ia.org, or dial 511.
Expected Conditions
Heavy snow is expected across the region. Total snow accumulations are forecast to be between 5 and 8 inches. Precipitation is expected to spread from western into central Iowa this afternoon and evening, potentially beginning as a rain/snow mix before transitioning to all snow. Snow rates may exceed 1 inch per hour at times this evening, leading to rapid accumulation on roads and slick travel conditions. A sharp gradient of snowfall is expected on either side of the heaviest band.
Timeline
The Winter Storm Warning is officially in effect from 6:00 PM CST this evening, February 19, until 6:00 AM CST Friday, February 20.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
Related Weather Alerts
All Weather Alerts →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this NWS weather alert.