While a round of winter weather will impact the northern half of the state on Thursday, needed precipitation is expected in south central Iowa. According to the National Weather Service, most of the region will receive between a 1/2″ to an inch of rainfall. No accumulating freezing precipitation is expected at this time, but travel will be more difficult across the state, especially north of Highway 30. This marks the first of many chances of rainfall coming over the next week, with showers and some winter weather possible next Monday through Wednesday — although exact timing and the type of precipitation won’t be easy to determine until this weekend. The rainfall comes as most of central Iowa remains in a moderate drought that stretches back to early summer.