Des Moines, Iowa-Missouri Border – Snow could begin covering stretches of I-35 and I-70 by 6 a.m. Sunday, with a 30 to 50 percent chance that at least 2 inches accumulates across parts of southern Iowa and northern Missouri before 6 a.m. Monday.
According to the National Weather Service, a developing winter system is expected to organize late Saturday night and spread east through early Monday, creating a corridor of accumulating snow from eastern Nebraska and Kansas across Iowa and Missouri into Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The highest probabilities for 2 inches or more currently focus on central and southern Iowa, including Des Moines, and extend into northern Missouri near Columbia and Kirksville.
Road impacts will depend heavily on snowfall rates and surface temperatures. If heavier bands set up before or during the Sunday morning travel window, visibility could drop below one mile with slushy accumulation on untreated roads and elevated surfaces. Bridges along I-235 in Des Moines and interchanges near Kansas City may become slick first.
Missouri and Iowa transportation crews are monitoring pavement temperatures and staging equipment in advance of the potential Sunday onset. Even minor shifts in the storm track could push higher totals farther south or north along the border region.
Residents should prepare by limiting non-essential travel during peak snowfall, checking tire tread and ensuring emergency kits are stocked. Additional winter weather advisories could be issued by Saturday as confidence increases in snowfall placement and intensity through early Monday.
