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Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa is settling into a prolonged and dangerous stretch of winter weather as Arctic air tightens its grip across the state, with little indication of meaningful relief through early to mid-February. Temperatures are expected to plunge this weekend, with overnight lows falling well below zero statewide and daytime highs struggling to recover, creating hazardous conditions for travel, infrastructure, and daily life.
According to the National Weather Service and NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, long-range outlooks from late January through mid-February strongly favor much below normal temperatures across the central Plains and Midwest. This same Arctic pattern is driving extreme cold farther north, where parts of Minnesota are facing life-threatening lows near minus 60 degrees, while reinforcing persistent subzero air across Iowa…