Here we go again?

Though winter doesn't officially start until Monday, we're already in a familiar pattern of ice and snow in Iowa. It seems eerily familiar to last winter, which merely resulted in devastating flooding in June. Maybe Mother Nature doesn't like Iowa. Or maybe this is what global warming -- which I prefer to call climate change -- looks like.

5-10 inches of snow, sleet and ice forecast

A major winter storm is forecast to bring 5 to 10 inches of snow, ice accumulation of up to four tenths of an inch and around three inches of sleet.

The National Weather Service will put a winter storm warning into effect from noon Thursday until noon Friday for a good portion of Eastern Iowa, including Linn and Johnson counties.

A mixture of freezing rain and sleet will begin between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Ice accumulations ranging from a trace to one tenth of an inch are expected by the evening commute.

The weather service says an additional ice accumulations of one half inch are expected Thursday night. There is a chance for thunder freezing rain which may result in locally high ice amounts.

The ice is expected to briefly change over to all rain by late Thursday night as temperatures rise to near freezing. It is predicted to change back to freezing rain and eventually snow by the Friday morning commute.

According to the weather service, the probability of extended power failures is high with this storm. Winds are expected to remain light Thursday but likely to increase to 10 to 20 miles per hour for a time on Friday.

The weather service says the storm will make travel dangerous or impossible. The ice accumulations and winds can lead to falling tree branches and snapped power lines.

In Cedar Rapids, the weather services predicts about one inch of snow accumulation during the day Thursday and an additional seven inches of snow and sleet accumulation by Thursday night.More winter storms headed for Eastern Iowa
Roads were bad Tuesday but conditions are expected to worsen as two more winter storms are set to head through Eastern Iowa this week.

"Definitely stay tuned to the weather forecasts and be prepared for snow and ice, probably both," said Andy Ervin, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Davenport. "The next one Thursday has the potential to be an ice storm."

Between 2 and 4 inches of snow fell across the area Tuesday, creating slick roads and reduced visibility that contributed to dozens of crashes, including a nine-vehicle collision that closed Interstate 80 near West Branch for several hours.

Out of 34 wrecks reported by 4 p.m. Tuesday in Cedar Rapids, only one person was injured, police said.

The personal injury crash happened just after 2 p.m. in front of Prairie High School, when a sport utility vehicle slid into the side of a city bus, police said. The SUVs driver, Richard Kearney, 46, 243 Mayden Ave. SW, reported an injury to his head and back pains. The city bus, driven by Leroy Nye, 52, was not carrying any students. Only three passengers were on board and none were injured. Kearney was taken to Mercy Medical Center for treatment.

Snow emergencies restricting on-street parking were declared in Mount Vernon, Lisbon, North Liberty, West Branch and Independence. The snow has also delayed or canceled some flights arriving and departing from The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids.

Iowa is in the middle of an active weather pattern similar to the one the state saw last year, Ervin said. That one lasted three months. The next storm, expected to start Thursday afternoon and continue through Friday morning, is still developing, he said. Forecasters should know more about it by this morning, Ervin said.

Another snowstorm is predicted to begin Saturday night.

Area law enforcement agencies and weather forecasters have issued several warnings cautioning motorists to practice safe winter driving by slowing down, using their head lights, wearing their seat belts and leaving extra room between their car and the car in front of them.

"Road salt is not nearly as effective when temperatures are as cold as they are. It's going to be below freezing for a while, so the roads will be slippery," Ervin said.