Winter storm to hit Midwest

Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania’s prognosticating groundhog, emerged from his lair today to “see” his shadow. As the old superstition goes that means six more weeks of winter, and here in the Midwest, Old Man Winter is wasting no time in living up to that prediction despite the relatively mild winter weather so far.

A powerful winter storm system that could leave a dozen inches of snow behind has been forecast for Nebraska and into western Iowa from Friday into Saturday. Central Iowa is under a winter storm watch for late Friday and Saturday, and Jasper County appears to be right on the edge of the storm according to current forecasts.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for most of Nebraska, southeast Wyoming, northeast Colorado, northwest Kansas and western Iowa. A blizzard warning has been issued for several counties in west-central Nebraska, starting Friday afternoon, where the brunt of the storm is expected to hit.

The service included Polk County in a winter storm watch, although Jasper County is not yet included. Storm projections carry an expected total of 4 to 7 inches of snow for central Iowa. Rain is forecast to fall before the snow hits with the rain turning into snow overnight Friday into Saturday.

Gusty northeast winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour are expected to follow the snow and last until Sunday morning.