After blizzard, Iowa faces days of life-threatening wind chills
As Des Moines' second snowstorm in a week punished the area with more than 9 inches of fresh snow, Iowans could be forgiven for getting whiplash from how quickly the weather changed.
Des Moines has received an estimated 22.3 inches of snow since Jan. 8, the National Weather Service reported. That's just shy of the 82-year-old all-time record for a five-day stretch: 22.7 inches from Dec. 28, 1941, to Jan. 1, 1942.
Elsewhere in the state, totals from Friday's storm topped 1 foot, with 14 inches of fresh snow in Fairfield and 13 inches in Muscatine. Washington reported 12 inches.
A new threat is emerging, as temperatures will sink to dangerously low levels over the next few days. They won't climb above 0 from Saturday morning through early Tuesday, and won't return to double digits above zero ― a high of 18 degrees ― until Wednesday, the weather service reported.
Des Moines' second-warmest December on record
The near-record snow, blizzard and extreme cold comes after Des Moines experienced the warmest December on record, with an average temperature of 37.4 degrees, the weather service said. On nine days it had temperatures of more than 50 degrees, including Dec. 7, when the city hit a high of 61. Only on Dec. 31 did the city have a high below freezing: 31 degrees.
Iowa overall experienced its third-warmest December in 151 years, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture.
Almost every kind of winter advisory issued
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, campaigning for the Jan. 15 Iowa Caucuses, told the Des Moines Register in early January he was thankful he had not gotten to experience the worst of Iowa’s winter weather as he toured the state.
Now, life-threatening wind chills are on the way as Iowans prepare for Caucus Night, and within about a week, the National Weather Service has issued what it said was every kind of winter weather advisory in its arsenal: a blizzard warning, winter storm warnings, winter storm watches, winter weather advisories, wind chill warnings, wind chill watches and wind chill advisories.
On Wednesday night the weather service even issued a rare snow squall warning when 1.2 inches of snow fell in Des Moines metro in a matter of minutes. The only winter advisory it said it hasn't issued: an ice storm warning.
Extreme cold begins Saturday
Beginning this weekend, arctic air will spill into the Midwest, bringing lows in the minus teens, according to the weather service.
On Saturday, Des Moines will have an early morning high temperature of 3 degrees, falling through the day to a low of minus 15, according to the weather service. Sunday’s high of minus 6 degrees will be accompanied by winds gusts as high as 20 to 30 mph, pushing wind chill to as much as 40 below zero.
Some parts of the Midwest could approach real temperatures of 40 below, according to the weather service ― conditions that can cause frostbite within minutes, the weather service warned.
Temperatures will slowly rise throughout the start of next week, but wind chills are expected to stay below 0 until Wednesday. For Monday’s Iowa Caucuses, Des Moines has a forecast high of minus 3 degrees. Tuesday’s temperatures could finally rise above zero with a forecast high of 1 degree.
Blizzard causes delays and dangerous travel
The blizzard beginning Friday hobbled much of the Midwest. Winter storm warnings were issued from eastern Nebraska and northern Missouri to the upper peninsula of Michigan. The greatest impacts from Friday’s storm was expected place portions of Wisconsin and Michigan, where more than a foot of snow was expected and winds of 40 to 50 mph could produce blizzard conditions.
In Iowa, large portions of the state's highways remain rated "travel not advised" as Iowa Department of Transportation have struggled to keep up with Mother Nature. On social media, the DOT said some roads were covered in drifts within minutes of plows passing through.
An “energetic” jet stream is driving a pair of storms across the country, and leading to this weekend’s active weather, the weather service said. In the southeast thunderstorms producing tornadoes and damaging winds could flare up this weekend.
Des Moines Register reporter Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez contributed to this article.
Philip Joens covers public safety, retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa wind chills below 0 until Wednesday following blizzard
