A winter storm is headed for eastern Iowa tonight, but it shouldn't affect caucus turnout because most of the precipitation is forecast to fall after midnight.
The National Weather Service says in the Quad Cities, there's a chance of rain and snow before midnight, then rain and snow are likely, possibly mixed with sleet. Meteorologists don't expect much if any accumulation with a low temperature above freezing, around 34 degrees.
A winter storm warning for heavy snow goes into affect for the Dubuque area overnight, at 3 a.m, and continues until 6 a.m. Wednesday. The weather service forecast for Dubuque says there's a slight chance of light snow in the evening, then 1-2 inches of snow are expected to fall after midnight with a low around 30. Two to five inches of snow are forecast for the Dubuque area tomorrow, with a mix of snow and sleet possible in the afternoon. The high will be around 35 degrees.
In the meantime, a dense fog advisory is in effect for most of eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois until tonight at 6:00. That's when the doors will open at Iowa caucus locations. The caucuses begin at 7:00 p.m.
