Iowa
After blizzard, Iowa faces days of ‘life-threatening’ wind chills
Blizzard to evolve over central US into the weekend
A new storm moving into the central United States will have the potential to shut down travel due to heavy snow, strong winds, extensive blowing and drifting snow and plummeting temperatures.
As Des Moines’ second snowstorm of the week punished the area with more than 6 inches of fresh snow, Iowans could be forgiven for getting whiplash from how quickly the weather changed.
Des Moines received an estimated 21.3 inches of snow since Monday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Chad Hahn. That would be just shy of the all-time record for a five-day stretch.
Des Moines’ highest five-day snow total came when 22.7 inches fell between Dec. 28, 1941, and Jan. 1, 1942, according to the NWS. The city got 20.2 inches of snow from March 14-18 1923 and 17.7 inches from Dec. 5-9, 2009.
Elsewhere in the state, totals from Friday’s storm topped 1 foot with Fairfield reporting 14 inches of fresh snow, 13 in Muscatine and Washington with 12 inches.
But as snow drifts grow ever higher, temperatures will sink to dangerously cold levels over the next few days as arctic air flows into the Midwest.
Wind chills were expected to dip into the negative 20s overnight on Friday and won’t climb above 0 until Wednesday, said NWS meteorologist Alexis Jimenez.
Des Moines’ second-warmest December on record
Des Moines had an average temperature of 37.4 degrees in December, making it the warmest December since 1889, according to WOI. Nine days had temperatures of more than 50 degrees, including Dec. 7 when the city hit a high of 61 degrees. Only on Dec. 31 did the city have a high temperature below freezing, and on that day the high was 31 degrees.
Overall Iowa experienced its third-warmest December in 151 years, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
‘Wind chills can be life-threatening’
Just last week Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said before an interview with the Des Moines Register that he was thankful that he had not gotten to experience the worst of Iowa’s winter weather as he campaigned. Now, ‘life-threatening’ wind chills are on the way.
Within about a week in January, the National Weather Service has issued a flurry of winter weather watches and warnings. In the last week, it has issued 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 a snow squall hit the Des Moines metro area, bringing 1.2 inches of snow in a short duration.
The snow Friday made travel conditions dangerous, but sub-zero temperatures will settle in through at least Tuesday, according to the NWS. Arctic air will spill into the Midwest, and could lead to record low temperatures of negative 20 degrees or negative 30 degrees, according to an NWS forecast.
On Saturday, Des Moines will have a high temperature of 5 degrees and a low of minus 13 degrees, according to the NWS. Sunday’s high of minus 5 degrees will not feel so high, and winds could gust as high as 20 to 30 mph. Wind chills on Sunday could make it feel as cold as minus 30 to minus 35 degrees.
Some places in the Midwest could approach real temperatures of 40 degrees below zero, according to the NWS. These extreme temperatures can cause frostbite within minutes, an NWS forecast warned.
“These temperatures and wind chills can be life-threatening for stranded motorists,” the NWS 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, according to the NWS.
Friday blizzard caused delays and dangerous travel
Friday’s storm 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 snowstorm were 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 were rated “travel not advised” for most of Friday as Iowa Department of Transportation plows 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.
The Iowa State Patrol said at 10 p.m. that it had responded to more than 70 crashes across the state, including 14 with injuries and 436 calls to assist motorists.
An “energetic” jet stream is driving a pair of storms across the country, and leading to this weekend’s active weather, to the NWS. In the southeast thunderstorms producing tornadoes and damaging winds could flare up this weekend, according to the NWS.
Des Moines Register reporter Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez contributed to this report.
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.
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers assesses the Cyclones’ spring
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers assesses the Cyclones’ spring
Spring commencement arrives at Iowa State this weekend, with a whole new generation of Cyclones set to get their diplomas and move on to the next things in their lives.
The options and choices will set their path for, potentially, the years and decades ahead.
Which got me thinking about the choices and circumstances of this school year that came for Iowa State athletics. There were no shortages of inflection points at which, it seems, programs and an entire athletics department pivoted to new directions.
Let’s explore.
What if Iowa State had hired Taylor Mouser as head football coach?
This seems to be the most discussed “Sliding Doors” moment for Iowa State football fans regarding head coach Matt Campbell’s departure to Penn State. And with good reason. It’s the most obvious, could have had the most immediate impact on the program and would have been largely seen as a continuation of the most successful run in school history.
Would promoting the Iowa State offensive coordinator, though, have been the right move?
If you assume a best-case scenario in which some of the star Cyclone players on offense – think Rocco Becht, Ben Brahmer, Carson Hansen, etc. – stay at Iowa State and a bulk of the coaching staff does as well, there are still likely defections that weaken the roster. Nothing like we saw back in December, but, still, there would be holes – and Campbell’s shoes – to fill by a first-time head coach taking over for a legend.
The calculation, as I see it, has to be – does the Year 1 continuity and relative stability gained by hiring Mouser provide for better long-term results than hiring Jimmy Rogers, who has the benefit of head-coaching experience?
It certainly would have made the fan base feel better back in December, but would it have positioned Iowa State to have better results in 2027 and beyond?
The roster almost certainly would have been “better” in 2026 if Iowa State retained Mouser, but would that have created a more solid foundation for the future or just delayed decay?
This “What If” becomes a lot less intricate and interesting if Rogers just wins a ton this fall and going forward.
What if Penn State had been able to hire Kalani Sitake as its football coach?
I think this is the most interesting question on the list.
By reports, Penn State was on the verge of hiring Sitake from BYU when the Cougars’ boosters – led by the Crumbl Cookie fortune – banded together to put together a financial package to keep Sitake in Provo.
What if they hadn’t, though?
Sitake goes to Penn State, and Dec. 5, 2025, is an uneventful day in Iowa State history rather than one of its most feverish.
But … what happens a few weeks later when Sherrone Moore is fired at Michigan?
Rather than plucking 66-year-old Kyle Whittingham from Utah/forced retirement, do the Wolverines try to make a Michigan Man out of an Ohioan? Does Campbell inherit the seat of Bo Schembechler?
And, for the sake of this thought exercise, if Campbell did move to Ann Arbor, does the timing of that decision change athletics director Jamie Pollard’s options and calculus about Iowa State’s opening? Is Jimmy Rogers still available? Or would he have taken a different opening or opted not to leave Pullman at that later date? Is Mouser the answer in this scenario?
Or is the Buckeye State distaste for the state Up North too much and Campbell returns for Year 11 at Iowa State?
Addy Brown on what went wrong in Iowa State’s loss to Syracuse
Iowa State’s Addy Brown talks about her team’s struggles in a loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.
What if Addy Brown doesn’t get hurt?
Iowa State women’s basketball was 14-0 on Jan. 4 when it played Baylor in Waco, and the season felt sure to realize the potential that was clear before it started with one of coach Bill Fennelly’s best rosters.
The Cyclones, though, returned home with their first loss and with Addy Brown sidelined with a back injury.
Four more losses in a row followed, and when Brown returned to the floor after six weeks, the Cyclones’ season was floundering.
They salvaged an NCAA Tournament bid, but a first-round exit gave way to a roster collapse with nine players – including Brown and superstar Audi Crooks – leaving via the transfer portal, putting Fennelly’s tenure and future under fire.
If Brown doesn’t get hurt – or just isn’t out as long – does that change the trajectory of the season? The offseason? And what the eventual end of Fennelly’s Iowa State career looks like?
What if Joshua Jefferson doesn’t roll his ankle?
The most recent “What If” I think is also the most straightforward.
If Jefferson’s ankle doesn’t roll in the early minutes of Iowa State’s first-round NCAA Tournament blowout win over Tennessee State, I think the Cyclones get a long second weekend in Chicago, but the Final Four drought probably remains intact.
Jefferson’s rebounding and offensive impact are, I think, enough to give the Cyclones the edge against Tennessee, but Michigan, the Cyclones’ would-be Elite Eight opponent, was just a juggernaut.
I’m not sure even a full-strength Iowa State team would have had more than a puncher’s chance. The Wolverines were just one of the best college basketball teams we’ve seen over the last few decades.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
One of the top Iowa high school football prospects in the state has made his college decision official.
Iowa City Regina High School senior-to-be Tate Wallace has announced he has verbally committed to the University of Minnesota in the Big Ten Conference. Wallace picked the Golden Gophers and head coach PJ Fleck over a finalists Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State and Wisconsin.
Wallace narrowed down his list of schools to six at the end of April before making his final decision.
Iowa City Regina Football Standout Tate Wallace Ranked As No. 2 Overall Prospect In Iowa High School Football
The 6-foot-2, 226-pound linebacker is considered the No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Iowa for high school football, and is the No. 21 linebacker in the Class of 2027, according to 247Sports.
In the 247Sports Composite rankings, Wallace is No. 2 in Iowa high school football, No. 29 at linebacker and No. 359 for the Class of 2027.
Along With Minnesota, Tate Wallace Currently Holds Offers From Schools Such As Arizona, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Iowa State
Wallace currently holds 16 total offers including from the previously mentioned Minnesota, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Kansas State, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, UNLV, North Dakota and North Dakota State.
As a junior, Wallace registered almost 50 tackles on defense, with 29 of them being counted as solo stops. He had 18 tackles for loss, 8.5 quarterback sacks and forced two fumbles, as Iowa City Regina advanced to the state championship game of the Iowa High School Athletic Association State Football Championships.
Future Minnesota Golden Gopher Has Been Key Two-Way Starter For Regals
Wallace also hauled in 40 passes for 611 yards with 10 receiving touchdowns on offense for the Regals. As a two-way player for Iowa City Regina during his sophomore season, Wallace had 27.5 tackles, including 16 solo stops, four tackles for loss and a quarterback sack, adding 51 receptions for 752 yards and eight touchdowns.
Back in March, Wallace announced seven spring visits to Notre Dame, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Kansas State and Arizona State. He also visited Tennessee this past fall, taking in an SEC contest with the Volunteers.
Along with his success on the football field, Wallace helped lead the Regals to the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament this past winter. He earned High School on SI all-state honors in the process.
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