Iowa Is Colder Than Moscow

Temperatures in Iowa were colder than in Moscow on Monday morning as an arctic blast maintained its frigid grip on the Midwest.

The blast brought bone-chilling temperatures, heavy snow and strong winds to most of the U.S. over the weekend. The cold air continued on Monday, and nearly all of Iowa remained under a windchill warning. Central Iowa temperatures plunged so much that Des Moines residents woke up to temperatures that were 40 degrees colder than in Moscow.

Russia is known for its long, cold winters, but the weather in its capital was no match for Iowa. Moscow was at 28 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday morning, not warm by any means but balmy when compared with Des Moines' 12 degrees below zero.

"Arctic cold air has settled into the area with temperatures well below zero and accompanying windchills often in the 20s or 30s below zero, even during the day," a National Weather Service (NWS) warning for much of Iowa said. "This extreme Arctic air combined with breezy winds at times will continue to create dangerous conditions into Tuesday, with windchill values as low as 35 below zero possible at times."

NWS meteorologist Rod Donavon told Newsweek that it's not uncommon for Iowa to experience temperatures below zero during January.

"We typically do get some type of arctic blast. Since we are in the central part of the U.S., we are more prone to have cold air come down out of Canada," he said, adding that December was one of Iowa's warmest on record.

Most places in Iowa will experience temperatures below zero for as long as 80 hours straight, Donavon said. Earlier this weekend, Iowa also faced blizzard warnings and winter weather advisories. The NWS said those alerts have ended but advised Iowa residents to remain vigilant because some roads may not be cleared of snow.

Unfortunately, Iowans will have to bear the cold a while longer before temperatures begin to rise again. Windchill warnings will end on Tuesday morning, but the cold weather will persist throughout the week, the NWS office in Des Moines said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday night.

"Wind Chill Warnings remain in effect across central IA through Tue morning, with a prolonged stretch of sub-zero temps through that time," the post said. It warned that frostbite can occur on exposed skin in 10 minutes at those temperatures.

"There is some relief on the horizon, but it will take a while," the NWS said in a follow-up post. "The warmest temps of the week will be Wed, with highs 15-20° before turning colder again. The 8-14 day outlook offers better news, however, with above normal temps likely Jan 22-28."