Blizzard warning in effect for central Iowa as extreme cold sets in - KCCI Des Moines

THAT’S RIGHT, STEVE AND STACY. WE’VE BEEN MONITORING THIS SINCE EARLY ON IN THE WORKWEEK AND NOW THE SNOW HAS ENDED AND OUR FOCUS SHIFTS TO THE ARCTIC COLD THAT HAS MOVED IN. AND OF COURSE, THOSE STRONG WINDS YOU CAN SEE FROM OUR WESTERN ONE CAMERA OFF INTO THE DISTANCE, VISIBILITY IS REDUCED. WE’VE GOT AIR TEMPERATURES AT TEN BELOW AND WINDCHILL VALUES CLOSE TO 40 BELOW ZERO. OUR WINDS HAVE INCREASED HERE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. WE’RE SUSTAINED RIGHT NOW ANYWHERE ACROSS THE STATE FROM ABOUT 25 TO 30 MILES PER HOUR. BUT WIND GUSTS WILL INCREASE HERE THIS EVENING. WE’VE GOT GUSTS TODAY UPWARDS OF 40 MILES PER HOUR IN AMES AND DES MOINES. WE JUST DID DO ABOUT 36 UP AND NOW GOING TO THIS AFTERNOON. SO THOSE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH THE SNOW ON THE GROUND, THAT’S GOING TO MAKE FOR SOME BLOWING SNOW AND SOME VISIBILITY ISSUES OUT ON THE ROADWAYS, ESPECIALLY FOR SPOTS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY. WINDCHILLS ACROSS THE STATE PRETTY MISERABLE NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE. FROM SPENCER, WE’VE GOT 42 BELOW THERE ALL THE WAY DOWN INTO CRESTON, WHERE IT’S ALMOST FEELING LIKE 40 BELOW THERE AS WELL. THESE NUMBERS DON’T DEVIATE MUCH HERE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND INTO THE DAY TOMORROW. I THINK IT’S JUST AS BAD AS WE HEAD INTO YOUR FRIDAY AS FAR AS TEMPERATURES ARE CONCERNED. THAT BLIZZARD WARNINGS STILL POSTED FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE ALL THE WAY THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. WE STILL HAVE THOSE STRONG WINDS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH FRIDAY AND INTO THE FIRST PART OF YOUR SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES STAY SUBZERO HERE THROUGH EARLY TOMORROW MORNING AND WIND CHILL VALUES FEELING LIKE 30 TO 35 BELOW ZERO THROUGH THE EARLY PORTIONS OF THE DAY TOMORROW. SO WE STILL HAVE THAT DANGEROUS COLD OUT THERE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT WILL STICK AROUND AT LEAST THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AS FAR AS TRAVEL GOES. STILL ISSUES, IT’S STILL DICEY OUT THERE, ESPECIALLY ON A LOT OF THE ROADWAYS THAT ARE RIGHT AROUND THE METRO AREA. WE’VE SEEN SOME BLOWING SNOW ALREADY AND VISIBILITY ISSUES OUT ON THE INTERSTATE ZANE SATRE. HE’S BEEN KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE ROADS AS WELL. WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND OUT THERE, ZAIN? YEAH, WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF COLORS ON THE ROAD. CONDITIONS MAP THIS EVENING AND THAT AREN’T GREEN, WHICH IS THE ONE WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE. STILL A LOT OF BLUE, STILL A LOT OF PINK HERE ACROSS THE STATE OF IOWA. BLUE, OF COURSE, IS YOUR PARTIALLY SNOW COVERED ROADS. PINK. COMPLETELY SNOW COVERED ROADS AND STILL A LITTLE BIT OF THAT PURPLE COLOR HERE, TOO, AS WE HEAD EAST OF THE DES MOINES METRO, RIGHT ALONG I-80, WHERE WE’VE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS OUT THE EASTERN IOWA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. IOWA CITY BACK WEST TOWARDS WILLIAMSBURG AND EVENTUALLY TOWARDS GRINNELL, NEWTON AND THEN BACK INTO THE DES MOINES METRO, HAS HAD A LOT OF TROUBLES HERE. IN FACT. STILL LOOKING AT THAT PURPLE COLORS, TELLING YOU TRAVEL, NOT ADVISED ON I-80 BACK THROUGH 3580 ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE DES MOINES METRO. STILL A LITTLE BIT DICEY OUT THERE. ELSEWHERE AROUND THE METRO AREA FOR A BLUE OR PINK. SO PARTIAL OR MOSTLY SNOW COVERED ROADS, HIGHWAY 65 FIVE BYPASS AROUND THE METRO AREA, FOR EXAMPLE. WE’LL TAKE A LIVE LOOK AT THAT. IOWA FIVE OUT ON THE SOUTH SIDE, FLEUR DRIVE RIGHT THERE BY THE AIRPORT. LITTLE BIT OF MOVEMENT ON THAT CAMERA. YOU CAN SEE THE LANES OR SOMEWHAT CLEAR, BUT THERE’S DEFINITELY SOME SNOW AROUND HERE AS YOU HEAD UP TO THE NORTH OF DES MOINES, UP TOWARDS AMES, THE FLYOVER RAMP THERE AT THE INTERCHANGE WITH INTERSTATE 35 AND HIGHWAY 30. LOOK, OKAY, BUT OBVIOUSLY YOU’VE GOT TO BE TAKING IT SLOW AND GIVING THE OTHER CARS A LOT OF SPACE. WE’RE LOOK, WE FOUND SO FAR IS HIGHWAY 30, JUST WEST OF THERE AS YOU HEAD TOWARDS BOONE, THE FOUR WAY STOP ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN. THERE’S SOME BOUNCING IN THAT CAMERA AND THERE’S SOME DRIFTING OF SNOW. YOU CAN STILL MAKE OUT WHAT LITTLE LIGHT WE HAVE OUTSIDE HERE THIS EVENING. SO NOT A GREAT TIME OUT THERE ON THE ROADS. SO IT’S GOING TO BE CONTINUING TO SEE MORE OF THOSE TYPES OF CONDITIONS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS.