2025/12/10

Eye Opener: Strong winds sweep through Iowa overnight

It's Wednesday, December 10. Hopefully you didn't leave any holiday decorations outside — they may have flown a few blocks away!

Today's emoji forecast: 💨🔜❄️ More snow and ice chances are on the way later this week. Jon Rivas has your forecast.

What people are talking about:

The Iowa State Fair is already planning for 2026. Meet the first two Grandstand acts announced this morning.
Ames police have arrested an 86-year-old man who allegedly assaulted an employee at a driver's license station.
Plans are progressing for a massive transformation of the Market District in Des Moines, featuring billions in expected economic benefits.

TOP STORY: Strong winds lead to power outages, school delays

THE 101: Strong wind gusts — some reportedly exceeding 65 mph — swept through Iowa overnight.

WHY IT MATTERS: Dozens of school districts closed or delayed Wednesday, including 2-hour delays in Ames, Bondurant-Farrar, Carroll, East Sac, East Marshall, Fort Dodge, Humboldt, Iowa Falls, Marshalltown, Nevada, and South Tama.

More than 2,000 MidAmerican Energy customers in the Des Moines metro were left without power as of 7:15 a.m. Wednesday morning.

MAIN TAKEAWAYS:

A power outage at Jefferson Elementary in Des Moines led to a 2-hour delay.
The mile-long bridge over Saylorville Lake had to be shut down due to the high winds.

4 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

💰 Des Moines Monopoly: A Des Moines version of the popular — and infuriating — board game Monopoly has been unveiled. Read more

⚖️ Kidnapping plea: The final defendant in a brutal kidnapping case in Zearing has accepted a plea agreement. Read more

✈️ Flying high: An air show is coming to Des Moines in 2027, featuring a demonstration from the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Read more

🗳️ Special election results: Unofficial results are in for a special election in Iowa's House District 7. Read more

MORE SNOW COMING?

Temperatures will drop below freezing and stay that way for the rest of the day. This could lead to refreeze on the roads with the melting we had yesterday/overnight.

There is also a patch of light snow moving across parts of Iowa which can also lead to slick spots with reduced visibilities as well. The main areas will be parts of central Iowa and the north & northeastern parts of the state. The snow will mostly stay under an inch, but it will be blown around with these strong winds in place.

The afternoon will feature breezy and cloudy conditions as we stay cool. Our attention then turns to Thursday with the threat for more snow and ice chances. We will have highs close to the freezing point for central and the southwestern half of the state with colder temperatures for the northeastern half. Wintry mix is expected in the afternoon to evening which can make for additional slick travel conditions. The warmer part of the state will have a chance for a glaze of ice accumulations where the cooler could see minor to moderate snow accumulation.

DAY BY DAY:

Today: Cloudy skies and blustery winds. High 30F. Winds NW at 15 to 20 mph, gusting near 35 mph. Wind speeds steadily drop through the day.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of snow showers, especially later in the day. High 30F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Cloudy and blustery. High 26F. Winds NW at 15 to 20 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph.
Saturday: Accumulating snow possible, otherwise cloudy and cold. High around 12F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.