Snow plow (file photo)
Many Iowans have been digging out from a winter storm Monday night that dumped 4 to 7 inches of snow across the state. Now, National Weather Service meteorologist Kenny Podrazik says an arctic cold front is moving into Iowa and will push overnight low temperatures well below zero. “Here in Des Moines, we’re going to creep down to around 10-below zero and up north, toward the Minnesota border, we’ll be around 15-below zero,” Podrazik says.
Winds are expected to shift to the northwest and increase as well, making it feel much colder than the actual temperature. “We’re expecting winds anywhere from 15 to 25 miles an hour with some gusts of 35,” Podrazik says. “That combination with the temperatures, we’re going to see some wind child readings of 30-to-40-below zero overnight through Wednesday morning.”
The fluffy snow that much of Iowa received, combined with the high winds, is likely to create more problems on the roadways. “Especially in open areas…definitely expecting some patchy, blowing snow,” Podrazik says. “Some of it could get lofted and we may get some brief visibility restrictions overnight. But, the main issue is going to be (the snow) blowing across the roads, causing some black ice and some slick conditions.”
High temperatures across the state on Wednesday are unlikely to reach above zero.