Friday’s heavy snowfall forced cancellations and early closures of several public services in the Perry area.
The Perry Public Library and the McCreary Community Building closed at noon due to the heavy snowfall, and all activities in the Perry Community School District have been called off for Friday and Saturday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Des Moines forecasts periods of moderate to heavy snow will transition Friday afternoon to mixed precipitation followed by gusty winds, creating blizzard to near-blizzard conditions over portions of Iowa Saturday.
Snow continues to move northeastward through central Iowa Friday afternoon, causing visibility to drop to less than one-half mile at times. Winds from the southeast, gusting between 30 and 40 mph, also reduce visibility.
Snow reports so far range from between one and three inches over southern Iowa with additional accumulation expected across the state. The transition to freezing drizzle with strong northwest winds gusting to 45 mph might result in a flash freeze on roadways.
Travel is not advised. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency, the NWS recommends.
The winter storm warning continues in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday for Dallas County as well as Crawford, Carroll, Greene, Boone, Polk, Jasper, Poweshiek, Marion and Mahaska counties and includes Perry and the cities of Denison, Carroll, Jefferson, Boone, Waukee, Adel, Des Moines, Newton, Grinnell, Pella, Knoxville and Oskaloosa.
ThePerryNews.com will update this weather story as forecasts evolve.
