Photo: National Weather Service-Quad Cities
A large part of eastern Iowa will be under a Winter Storm Warning Wednesday to 6 a.m. Saturday.
Counties included are: Buchanan-Delaware-Dubuque-Benton-Linn-Jones-Jackson-Iowa-Johnson-
Cedar-Keokuk-Washington-Jefferson-Jo Daviess-
The National Weather Service is predicting 4-7 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 55 mph. Blizzard conditions will also be possible, with extreme cold wind chills, as low as 30-to-40 below zero, especially starting midday Thursday. Roads could become slick and visibility will be reduced due to widespread blowing snow. Gusty winds could also bring down tree branches. Wind chills as low as 35 below can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10-minutes.
Allamakee, Clayton, Mitchell, Howard, Winneshiek, Floyd, Chickasaw, and Fayette counties in northeast Iowa will be under a Winter Storm Warning from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Saturday.
Northwest Illinois is under a Winter Storm Watch from Wednesday evening thru late Friday night. The NWS says 3-5 inches of snow is possible in north central, northwest, and west central Illinois, as well as east central, northeast, and southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri.
Travel could be very difficult, due to widespread blowing snow reducing visibility.