000 WWUS43 KARX 100148 WSWLSE URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 748 PM CST SAT FEB 9 2002 ...POTENT WINTER STORM TO AFFECT THE AREA TONIGHT... .EARLY THIS EVENING...A BROAD AREA OF RAIN HAD DEVELOPED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...AND OVER MUCH OF IOWA. THIS RAIN AREA WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND AND MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE EVENING. AS COOLER AIR WORKS INTO THE AREA...THE RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BE QUITE HEAVY AT TIMES...WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION. FROM 3 TO AS MUCH AS 7 INCHES ARE ANTICIPATED FOR THE AREA...WITH SOME LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. LATER TONIGHT...NORTHERLY WINDS WILL ALSO INCREASE OVER THE AREA. THIS MAY CAUSE SOME BLOWING A DRIFTING OF THE FRESHLY FALLEN SNOW... ESPECIALLY IN OPEN AREAS. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL TONIGHT...THE WET AND SLOPPY SNOWFALL WILL LIKELY RESULT IN SLICK ROADS...BRIDGES...AND SIDEWALKS. BE SURE TO BRING ALONG A WINTER WEATHER SURVIVAL KIT. STAY TUNED TO YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA SOURCE FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. IAZ008-MNZ079-086-087-094-WIZ032-101000- BUFFALO WI-DODGE MN-MITCHELL IA-MOWER MN-OLMSTED MN-WABASHA MN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALMA...AUSTIN...DODGE CENTER...LAKE CITY... MANTORVILLE...MONDOVI...OSAGE...ROCHESTER AND WABASHA 748 PM CST SAT FEB 9 2002 ...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT... RAIN OVER THE AREA THIS EVENING...WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW BETWEEN 9 AND 11 PM. SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL THEN PERSIST FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS BY MIDNIGHT SHOULD ONLY BE A FEW INCHES... BUT BY MORNING...TOTALS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. ALSO... WINDS WILL BECOME NORTH AND INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH...WHICH MAY RESULT IN SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING PROBLEMS...ESPECIALLY IN OPEN AREAS. $$ IAZ009>011-018-019-029-MNZ088-095-096-WIZ033-034-041-042-053-101000- ALLAMAKEE IA-CHICKASAW IA-FAYETTE IA-FILLMORE MN-FLOYD IA-HOUSTON MN- HOWARD IA-JACKSON WI-LA CROSSE WI-MONROE WI-TREMPEALEAU WI-VERNON WI- WINNESHIEK IA-WINONA MN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ARCADIA...BLACK RIVER FALLS...CALEDONIA... CHARLES CITY...CRESCO...DECORAH...LA CRESCENT...LA CROSSE... LANSING...NEW HAMPTON...OELWEIN...PRESTON...SPARTA...TOMAH... VIROQUA...WAUKON...WEST UNION...WHITEHALL AND WINONA 748 PM CST SAT FEB 9 2002 ...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT... RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA THIS EVENING. AS COOLER AIR WORKS INTO THE AREA...THE RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW. THE CHANGEOVER SHOULD OCCUR BETWEEN 11 PM AND 1 AM. SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL THEN PERSIST THROUGH THE NIGHT. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS BY THE TIME THE SNOW TAPERS OFF SUNDAY MORNING SHOULD BE IN THE 4 TO 7 INCH RANGE. $$ WIZ029-101000- CLARK WI- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...NEILLSVILLE 748 PM CST SAT FEB 9 2002 ...A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT... A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP AFTER 10 PM THIS EVENING. THE PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO TO ALL SNOW AROUND THE MIDNIGHT HOURS...THEN INCREASE IN INTENSITY. SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL THEN CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS BY THE TIME THE SNOW TAPERS OFF SUNDAY MORNING SHOULD BE IN THE 3 TO 5 INCH RANGE. $$ IAZ030-WIZ043-044-054-055-061-101000- ADAMS WI-CLAYTON IA-CRAWFORD WI-GRANT WI-JUNEAU WI-RICHLAND WI- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ELKADER...FRIENDSHIP...GUTTENBERG... LANCASTER...MAUSTON...PLATTEVILLE... PRAIRIE DU CHIEN AND RICHLAND CENTER 748 PM CST SAT FEB 9 2002 ...A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING... EXPECT RAIN THIS EVENING...WITH THE RAIN GRADUALLY CHANGING OVER TO SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. ONCE THE CHANGE OCCURS...SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY MORNING. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS BY THE TIME THE SNOW TAPERS OFF DURING THE MID-MORNING HOURS OF SUNDAY SHOULD BE IN THE 3 TO 5 INCH RANGE. $$ MW