First the snow, then the bitter cold

No one could be blamed for avoiding the outdoors on Tuesday, which saw half a foot of snow on the ground and temperatures in the single digits.

Yet out there on his bike was David Martyn, a delivery driver for Jimmy John's in Iowa City.

Buried in four layers, Smartwool socks, a face mask and ski goggles, Martyn was hauling subs by way of a stud-tired mountain bike in a five-mile radius of downtown Iowa City. The digital temperature display outside the local bank read 3 degrees.

'It's not too bad,” Martyn said. 'Just dress like you are going skiing.”

That 'not too bad” assessment could change drastically by Wednesday morning. After a fairly moderate start to the season, which saw only trace amounts of snow in December and relatively mild temperatures, winter is announcing its presence with authority this week. Roughly six inches of snow fell on the area Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning - but that was only the opening salvo. Dangerously cold temperatures are expected to follow for the rest of the week.

Forecast

Awful, is how KCRG-TV9 meteorologist Kaj O'Mara described it.

'It's going to be cold and not fun,” O'Mara said Tuesday.

Monday's storm dropped 5 to 7 inches of snow on the region before tailing off Tuesday morning. In its wake will be the coldest temperatures of 2015, O'Mara said. Beginning Tuesday night, the mercury will fall to a low of -17 degrees.

On Wednesday, the high temperature will only hit -9 degrees. Wednesday night could see lows of -21 degrees.

And that doesn't take the wind into consideration. O'Mara said the area will see sustained winds of 10 to 20 mph. Wind chills of -30 to -40 degrees will be 'fairly common,” O'Mara said.

In addition to just feeling terrible, temperatures that low will present a serious threat to anyone outdoors.

'It's a situation where you can be looking at frostbite in under 10 minutes,” O'Mara said.

The frigid air in the Midwest can be attributed to a high pressure system in the eastern Pacific Ocean. While that system is in place, arctic air is diverted south into the Midwest.

'Until that breaks down, there's no reason to think that arctic air won't stop coming,” O'Mara said.

Another burst of cold weather will follow this system. The high temperature for Thursday is predicted to be 12 degrees, while Friday will only hit single digits, O'Mara said.

Iowa City Police Sgt. Scott Gaarde said the weather had relatively few effects for police by midday Tuesday, save for a few motorist assists and minor collisions.

'I think most folks are pretty aware of the weather,” he said.

Shelter

While avoiding the cold is not an option for most patrol officers, Gaarde said most police will do their best to only endure the elements when necessary. He recommended citizens do the same and encouraged anyone without shelter to take advantage of the city's homeless shelters, including a new temporary shelter that opened just Monday night.

Crissy Canganelli, executive director of Shelter House in Iowa City, said the temporary shelter, located in the former Aldi grocery store at 1534 S. Gilbert St., provided a place to sleep for seven people in the shelter's first night of operation.

'Everything went really well,” she said. 'It was kind of expected because it takes a while to spread the word. We'll probably see some more tonight.”

Canganelli expects more individuals to take advantage of the shelter, which was made possible through financial contributions from several local agencies and representatives, as word spreads in the community.

The temporary homeless shelter provides a place to stay from 5 p.m. through 8 a.m. and will remain open through February.

Shannon McMahon, city of Iowa City communications coordinator, said several city facilities - the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, Scanlon Gym/Mercer Recreation Facility, public library and Senior Center - will be available during regular hours of operations as a place for people to warm up and take shelter from the cold.

Getting around

While the snow halted Tuesday morning, transportation officials said travel would continue to be dangerous, especially as winds picked up.

Hot tires, bitter cold pavement mixed with light blowing snow creates a dangerous concoction the Iowa Department of Transportation calls 'wheel-track glazing.” Motorists are advised to be careful.

'The tire is hot from friction and the pavement is cold, so any moisture that develops between the hot and cold causes melting snow on the tire and it just freezes instantly,” said Cathy Cutler, a transportation planner for the Iowa DOT district six office. 'It starts to build a layer of ice that the plows can't get to quickly enough.”

The biggest concern is the wind, though, she said. High winds, coupled with the powdery snow, are expected to cause limited visibility and potential snow drifts, Cutler said.

Cutler said major highways and interstates are in 'pretty good shape,” despite a few accidents. The weather could cause disruptions for commuters until at least Wednesday afternoon, she said.

A collision disrupted travel on northbound Interstate 380 near Cedar Rapids Tuesday morning, and Interstate 80 also saw two crashes.

Two plows in District Six were involved in collisions, one near Urbana on I-380 and the other in the Anamosa area, Cutler said. Damage was done to the side plow, but the vehicle itself was not disabled.

Around the state, at least 12 plows had been in collisions, she said.

Johnson County is under a tow ban, Cutler said.

Cedar Rapids declared a residential snow emergency effective until 7 a.m. Thursday. This means no parking on the even numbered side of the street on even numbered days with similar rules for odd numbered days.

Cutler said 171 vehicles are out in the 10-county district six region, and about 275 staff members will work over a 24-hour period. They are working split shifts to provide 24-hour coverage, she said.

'We are fully staffed,” Cutler said. 'Everything that is able to be out is out.”

Delivery

After the snow started flying Monday evening, the phones at Sam's Pizza and Deli in Cedar Rapids began ringing. And we're not talking your usual dinner rush.

'We had like 40 deliveries within an hour and a half,” owner Jeff Bulicek said. 'That's about double what we normally would do.”

The southwest side pizza joint - as with many of its delivery counterparts - typically anticipates a customer surge when weather makes travel difficult. And, Bulicek said, he staffed up Monday in expectation of more orders.

'We had to bring in extra drivers,” he said. 'On a stormy night, we always get ready for it.”

But during the day Tuesday, Bulicek said, the cold temperatures seemed to have the opposite effect. Few people placed lunch orders either in person or over the phone.

'I think everyone is in shock today,” he said. 'The bar's even slow. It's never slow during the day.”

A few miles away at the Jimmy John's on Edgewood Road, call were still overwhelming the staff Tuesday, said Nick Warson, area manager for the sandwich shop.

'Right now we are getting our butt kicked on delivery,” Warson said, referring to '15 deliveries on the screen.”

But snow didn't significantly hinder mail delivery in and around Cedar Rapids Tuesday, said Kim Andersen, customer service supervisor at the Northeast Cedar Rapids Carrier Station for the U.S. Postal Service.

In some cases, snow piled near mailboxes on rural routes made it impossible for carriers to approach by vehicle, she said. Carriers are not allowed to dismount and make curb deliveries when mailboxes are blocked or ice prevents safe approach.

When that happens, carriers will hold that address's mail until the next day, Andersen said.

'No one wants to inconvenience the customer,” Andersen added. 'But we must ensure the safety of our employees.”

She advised residents to clear snow around curbside mailboxes and walkways around house-mounted boxes. Steps, especially painted wood, must be kept clear of ice and in good repair, she said.

Pets

Humans aren't the only creatures that need to take care in the cold. Liz Ford, director of the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, said that, just like people during a storm, animals should 'stay home and stay inside.”

'There's a myth that dogs and cats are more resistant to the cold,” Ford said. 'They're susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia.”

Ford said when dogs do go outside, they should be in dry coats and bootees when necessary. Owners should be on the lookout for signs - shivering, whining or holding up paws - that it's time to bring them inside.

Paws should be wiped down to remove ice melt or antifreeze so it can't be accidentally digested. Ford also advised keeping identification on pets in case they get lost outdoors, and keeping a store of any special food or medication.

Outdoor animals, such as 'community cats” that don't live inside, also can receive assistance, Ford said. She recommended people check their vehicles for cats sleeping near the engines to keep warm.

Concerned citizens can also pick up Styrofoam cat shelters free of charge from the animal shelter to put outside for outdoor cats, Ford said.

Also contributing to this story were reporters Erin Jordan, Vanessa Miller, B.A. Morelli and Mitchell Schmidt.