Iowa
What is a red flag warning? Iowa sees ‘very high to extreme’ fire danger Thursday
The majority of Iowa, including the Des Moines metro, is under a red flag warning for Thursday.
The warning runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and has been expanded to replace the previous fire weather watch, according to the National Weather Service.
What is a red flag warning?
Warm temperatures combined with low humidities and strong winds create an increased risk for fire danger. Red flag warnings are usually only issued in the spring and fall weather seasons from Feb. 15 to April 30 and Oct. 1 to Dec. 15, according to the National Weather Service.
Where is the Red Flag warning in Iowa?
High wind gusts from 35 mph to 45 mph west and north of the Des Moines metro will create “very high to extreme fire danger conditions,” according to the National Weather Service. Humidity will be quite low, ranging from 15% to 25%. Des Moines is expected to see a peak humidity point of 22% and winds at 31 mph.
Is a red flag warning a burn ban in Iowa?
Red flag warnings are issued by the National Weather Service. Meteorologists strongly advise against starting fires, but cannot ban them.
Individual counties or cities may issue burn bans. Polk, Story and Johnson counties were among the 59 counties with burn bans active as of 8:45 a.m. Thursday. The Iowa State Fire Marshall’s Office maintains an interactive map of all active burn bans.
Safety practices you should take during red flag warnings
- In areas that permit burning, all burn barrels must be covered with a weighted metal cover with holes no larger than 3/4 of an inch.
- Do not throw away cigarettes or matches while driving. This could ignite dry vegetation.
- Properly extinguish outdoor fires by drowning it with plenty of water, and never leave a fire unattended.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
Iowa
Check the Powerball numbers. 28,000 Iowa Lottery tickets won prizes.
What are your chances of winning any prize on the Powerball game?
Powerball is a popular lottery game around the U.S. but winning isn’t easy.
The Powerball Jackpot keeps getting bigger. No one was the winner on Wednesday, Dec. 17, which means $1.5 billion is now up for grabs.
This is now the fifth-largest jackpot in the game’s history.
How many Iowa Lottery tickets won prizes in latest Powerball drawing?
Iowa Lottery players won 28,677 prizes in Wednesday’s drawing, and this time, no one got close to winning the grand prize. Prizes ranged from $4 to $400.
What were the winning Powerball numbers in Wednesday’s drawing?
The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing were 25-33-53-62-66 and Powerball 17. The Power Playmultiplier was 4.
When is the next Powerball drawing?
The next Powerball drawing will be on Saturday, Dec. 20. The game has drawings on Mondays, Wednesday and Saturdays each week.
The Powerball jackpot has been growing since early September, and Saturday’s drawing will mark the 45th in the current jackpot run, a record for most drawings in a single jackpot cycle, according to the news release.
How many Iowa Lottery Powerball tickets were sold?
Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $1.75 million in Powerball tickets for last night’s drawing, including $1.24 million in tickets on Wednesday alone. But the average Powerball purchase in Iowa for Wednesday’s drawing remained around $6, or about three plays per ticket.
Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.
Iowa
Arizona baseball to hire Iowa’s Sean Kenny as pitching coach
Arizona got caught up in the swirl of college baseball coaches leaving for professional jobs this offseason, losing pitching coach John DeRouin to a coordinator position with the New York Mets organization. But the Wildcats didn’t take long finding a replacement, one with a strong pedigree in the collegiate ranks.
Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com is reporting the UA will hire Iowa’s Sean Kenny as pitching coach. Kenny will techincally be Arizona’s fourth pitching coach in five seasons under Chip Hale, though DeRouin only served in that role during the offseason following Kevin Vance’s departure in June to become San Diego State’s head coach.
Kenny, 53, spent the 2025 season at Iowa where his staff ranked 16th in the country in ERA and 11th in strikeouts per nine innings. The Hawkeyes went 33-22-1 but missed the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to Iowa, Kenny spent the 2023 season at Iowa and before that was at Georgia from 2018-23. He’s also coached at Michigan, Maryland, Pepperdine and San Diego. The 2026 season will be his 30th in college baseball.
Arizona, which is coming off a trip to the College World Series, returns weekend starters Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey and NCBWA Stopper of the Year Tony Pluta among several other pitchers from the team that went 44-21.
The UA opens the 2026 season on Feb. 13 in Surprise against former Pac-12 foe Stanford, part of a tournament that also includes Oregon State and Michigan. The home opener is Feb. 17 vs. Omaha at Hi Corbett Field.
Iowa
Watch live as bodies of Iowa National Guard soldiers return to US
President Donald Trump, Gov. Kim Reynolds, members of Iowa’s congressional delegation and families are receiving the bodies of fallen Iowa National Guard soldiers Sgt. William Nathaniel “Nate” Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, and Sgt. Edgar Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines and a civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Michigan.
The dignified transfer ceremony is expected to happen this afternoon at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
All three were killed Saturday, Dec. 13, by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, before being shot dead.
Their caskets will be transferred from the plane to an awaiting vehicle and taken to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations building at the Dover base “for positive identification by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System and preparation for their final resting place.”
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