Winter weather is on its way to Iowa, along with subzero windchill temperatures, snow and freezing rain through the rest of the week.
Starting early Tuesday afternoon, parts of western Iowa began seeing snowfall, and the rest of the state isn’t far behind. Snowfall is expected across most of the state Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, which could impact the morning commute in the Des Moines metro, according to a weather briefing from the National Weather Service in Des Moines.
The rest of the week is filled with more snow, subzero windchills and rain for most of the state.
The western part of the state is under a special weather statement for scattered snow showers, while the eastern part of the state is under a hazardous weather outlook for incoming wintry weather patterns for the rest of the week and into the weekend.
Here’s what you need to know about this week’s freezing forecast.
What does this week’s forecast look like?
Most of Iowa will experience a wintry mix through the rest of the week, ranging from gusty snowfall to freezing rain. Here’s this week’s weather forecast from the National Weather Service.
Tuesday night: Snowfall is expected to begin around 5 p.m. in central Iowa with a 60% chance of precipitation and winds blowing in from the west. A total of 1 inch of snow or less is expected.
Wednesday: Flurries are expected in the morning but should clear up in the afternoon. A high of 22 and a low of 17 degrees is forecasted but the windchill should be 0 degrees with 17 to 20 mph winds.
Thursday: A 20% chance of snow, primarily in southern and central Iowa, with a high of 18 and a low of 12 degrees.
Friday: Starting in the afternoon, northern Iowa can expect snow, central Iowa can expect freezing rain and snow, and southern Iowa can expect rain. Mostly cloudy with a high of 33 and a low of 28 degrees. The National Weather Service says to prepare for travel impacts across the state.
Saturday: A 30% chance of rain in the morning, mostly cloudy with a high of 38 and a low of 26.
Polk County’s severe temperature plan activated through Friday
The Polk County extreme temperature plan was activated Tuesday through Friday.
The extreme temperature plan is activated when temperatures reach 10 degrees with windchill for three or more days, 5 degrees with windchill for two or more days or 0 degrees with windchill for one or more days.
Warming shelters will be available while the extreme temperature plan is active.
The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority provides free rides to warming centers. When you board, tell the driver you need to go to a warming center.
Warming centers in the Des Moines metro include:
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Des Moines South Side Library, 1111 Porter Ave.
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Des Moines Central Community Center, 2008 Forest Ave.
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Des Moines Central Library, 1000 Grand Ave.
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Des Moines Forest Avenue Library, 1326 Forest Ave.
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Des Moines Four Mile Community Recreation Center, 3711 Easton Boulevard
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Des Moines Northwest Community Center, 5110 Franklin Ave.
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Polk County Health Department, 1907 Carpenter Ave.
A full list of available warming centers can be found on the Polk County website.
Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Winter weather moves into Iowa. Snow, freezing rain expected Friday