Des Moines, IA – Iowans may be heading into a wetter and potentially wintry Thanksgiving travel period, as new long-range federal outlooks show above-normal precipitation statewide from November 23 through November 29.
According to the Climate Prediction Center’s 8–14 Day Outlook released Saturday, Iowa sits squarely within a 40–50% probability zone for wetter-than-normal conditions. The state also lies just southeast of a strengthening early-season cold pool across the northern Plains—a common setup that can lead to late-November rain-to-snow transitions.
Northern and western Iowa—including Sioux City, Fort Dodge, and Mason City—could be positioned closest to colder air, creating a higher likelihood for wet snow or mixed precipitation if storm systems track favorably. Historically, this region often sees the earliest Thanksgiving-season snow when moisture and marginal temperatures overlap…