Iowans who’ve been wanting to take down their Christmas lights might tackle the chore this afternoon while it’s still warm, because extremely cold weather is on the way. National Weather Service meteorologist Rod Donavon says we’ll be seeing temperature extremes on both ends of the spectrum this weekend.

“We are actually still expecting high temperatures in the mid 40s today, which is well above normal,” Donavon says, “but big changes start to arrive tonight, as we have a cold front pass through the area with some gusty winds, much colder on Saturday, with highs in the low to mid teens.”

That blast of Arctic air will continue pouring into Iowa throughout the day on Saturday, and by Sunday, the bitter cold will be settling in to stick around.

“We’re looking at high temperatures Sunday through Tuesday in the single digits, and even there’s some places up across far northern Iowa that may not even get above zero several of those days,” Donavon says. “The big other factor in there is going to be the wind chill values, as we’re going to be seeing wind chill values of minus 15 to minus 30.”

A few areas may see flurries this weekend but he says no significant accumulation is expected anywhere in the state.

“With the lack of snow on the ground, it’s actually going to somewhat temper this cold spell that’s coming down,” Donavon says. “If we had a foot of snow on the ground, it’d probably be another 10 to 15 degrees colder, so there’s a saving grace in there.”

The long-range forecast shows highs may be back in the 30s by Wednesday.

( Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City also contributed to this story.)

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