116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Cold front brings ‘arctic air mass’ to Iowa this weekend
Wind chills could reach lows of minus 30 degrees
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After two days of unseasonably warm temperatures, Iowans are being warned to prepare for “the coldest air of the season so far” this weekend and early next week.
A strong cold front will bring an arctic air mass into the region, resulting in “dangerously cold wind chills,” according to the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities bureau.
The cold is expected to arrive Saturday morning with temperatures in the teens in the north to the mid 20s in the south. Wind chills of minus 6 degrees are expected in Cedar Rapids on Saturday. Northwest winds will blow at 15 to 20 mph with gusts reaching 30 mph.
Sunday and Monday will be “dangerously cold,” the NWS warns. High temperatures will reach only the single digits and wind chills could be minus 10 to minus 30.
Areas in the Highway 20 corridor in northern Iowa will see the coldest temperatures, with wind chills as low as minus 30. In Eastern Iowa, wind chills in Independence in Buchanan County could reach minus 25 on Monday.
The National Weather Service Quad Cities bureau on Friday issued a cold weather advisory that in effect from 3 a.m. to noon Sunday. The advisory includes Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Benton, Linn, Jones, Jackson, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar and Clinton counties.
The advisory includes safety tips for cold weather:
- Stay indoors if possible.
- Limit time spent out int he cold.
- Cover all exposed skin when you are outdoors.
- Check on elderly neighbors and family.
- Bring pets indoors.
- Do not use generators or grills inside.
- Have a working carbon monoxide detector.
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