(Spirit Lake)– The region is digging out from the first major winter storm of the season.
Precipitation started falling mid-morning Friday in the form of sleet and freezing rain…depositing about a tenth of-an-inch of ice. The sleet and freezing rain changed to snow at Noon, continuing through the rest of the day and into the evening, dumping about five inches on the Iowa Great Lakes. A stiff northeast wind caused some blowing and drifting, resulting in visibility problems in rural areas.
The snow ended shortly after midnight.
Plows are out, but the Iowa Department of Public Safety says many roads remain covered with ice and compacted snow.
