DAVENPORT, IA — A major winter storm is now expected to hit parts of eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois starting late Friday evening, with heavy snow, strong winds, and dangerous travel conditions expected through Saturday night. The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities warns that the worst impacts will occur from early Saturday morning through Saturday evening, when snowfall rates could exceed an inch per hour at times.
Snow will begin around Friday evening near Dubuque and Cedar Rapids, spreading southeast toward Moline, Muscatine, and Galesburg overnight. By early Saturday, the storm will cover most of the region, bringing 6 to 10 inches of snow, with localized totals near a foot in heavier bands. Winds up to 25–30 mph will cause blowing and drifting snow, especially across open farmland and major highways like I-80, I-74, and Route 61.
Meteorologists caution that travel could become difficult to impossible late Friday night through Saturday. Even after snow ends by Saturday evening, drifting could continue into Sunday as gusty northwest winds persist. Temperatures will fall into the teens and 20s by Sunday morning, keeping roads icy well into the day.
