Marion Weather Alert: Winter Storm Q Coming, Winter Storm Warning Declared for Thursday Afternoon

Winter Storm Q is heading our way.

It's not entirely clear why it is called that by the Weather Channel, but it apparently means business.

Weather.com is tracking the storm as it moves northeast through Kansas and Nebraska. Here is what is has for Iowa so far:

Iowa

• Q is forecast to hit Des Moines by 8 a.m. Thursday as it blows northeast across the state.
• Up to a foot of snow is expected in some spots west of Interstate 35.
• The storm is expected to produce light, fluffy snow prone to blowing and drifting.

Linn County is among the counties in Eastern Iowa that will be a part of a Winter Storm Warning that will last from Thursday at 3:00 p.m. until Friday at 3:00 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities.

The snowfall totals appear to be in the five to seven inch range as has been mentioned before:

LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND INTO THE MIDWEST ON THURSDAY. MODERATE TO POSSIBLY HEAVY SNOW WILL DEVELOP IN SOUTHEAST IOWA...NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WESTERN ILLINOIS BY LATE AFTERNOON ON THURSDAY. THE SNOW WILL THEN SPREAD INTO NORTHEAST IOWA AND NORTHWEST ILLINOIS THURSDAY NIGHT WHILE WEAKENING IN INTENSITY. THE SNOW WILL BECOME LIGHT LATER THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH LIGHT SNOW LINGERING THROUGH FRIDAY BEFORE ENDING. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER MOST OF THE AREA. EAST WINDS SHOULD INCREASE THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY EVENING AND WITH GUST TO AROUND 25 MPH. THIS WILL PRODUCE SOME DRIFTING OF THE SNOW. THE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE LATER THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY.