— Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Anne Blankenship Street crews clear snow from Willson Avenue Wednesday afternoon. The area reported 4 1/2 inches of snow by 7 a.m. Wednesday, with more falling through midday.

Mother Nature roared through Hamilton County again Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, dumping several more inches of snow on the area.

According to Brooke Hagenhoff with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, Webster City received a reported 4.5 inches of snow as of 7 a.m. Wednesday morning.

“And we’ve likely added to that total since that time,” she said.

Snow totals were slightly less than predicted, mostly due to the extra dry air over Iowa and because of storm systems in states south of Iowa.

“It was difficult for the winter storm to overcome that dry air,” Hagenhoff said.

The area should experience a reprieve from the severe winter weather Thursday but more precipitation is on the way for the weekend. Temperatures Thursday should be in the mid to upper 20s and Friday’s forecast calls for temperatures to warm into the 30s. By Sunday night, the temperatures should drop back into the lower 20s.

Hagenhoff said forecasts for the weekend could prove to be messy across the state. A wintery mix of snow and sleet is predicted to move into northern Iowa Friday night before midnight.

Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Timmons said there were just a few incidents on the roadways Tuesday night and Wednesday. Throughout the county, about 15 vehicles either went into a ditch or needed some kind of assistance. He said there was one accident reported on county roads and there were no injuries.

“I think people are listening,” he said. “People are getting the notifications early enough and they seem to be taking warnings seriously.”

In Hamilton County, South Hamilton, Stratford, Northeast Hamilton and all Webster City schools were closed due to the weather and road conditions on Wednesday.

Webster City schools were scheduled to have a Professional Development Day on Thursday. With multiple snow days already logged in 2019, it was announced by administration officials that school will indeed be held Thursday and students are asked to report to classes at the usual time.