2026/01/21

Eye Opener: Trump to visit Iowa; strong winter weather returns

It's Wednesday, January 21.

Today's emoji forecast: 💨 Get ready for strong winds. Jon Rivas has your forecast.

What people are talking about:

President Donald Trump will be delivering a speech in Iowa next week. Here's what we know so far.
Three people died in a head-on crash on Interstate 380 earlier this week.
Iowa State returned to the win column last night, crushing UCF thanks to Joshua Jefferson's triple-double.

TOP STORY: Gusty winds, snow chances, dangerous cold and more winter weather

THE 101: We're in for multiple days of uncomfortable winter weather.

The story today will be gusty winds. A cold front will bring more snow showers and strong winds for the afternoon. The snow accumulations won't be much, but with the strong winds that will be pushing in, we are expecting patchy blowing snow and low end potential for a couple snow squalls later today.

You can find our full breakdown here.

WHAT'S NEXT: The breeze will stick around Thursday, but we will lose the snow chance. A reinforcing arctic blast will then push in for Thursday night into Friday which will bring the coldest air of the year.

The winds will still be breezy for Friday morning with the extreme cold which will generate wind chills in the 30 to 40 degree below zero range. Extreme Cold Watch is set to go in effect Thursday night and could last into Saturday morning.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK:

Friday: Partly cloudy and very cold. High -2F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of snow in southern Iowa Saturday night. High 6F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Very cold. High 8F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.

4 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

🏈 Final football rankings: Iowa ends the 2025-26 football season inside the top 20. Read more

🍔 Opening today: A new Steak 'n Shake in the metro is set to open its doors for the first time this morning. Read more

🚓 Theft charges: A former employee with the Orient-Macksburg Community School District, which was dissolved last summer, is now facing theft charges related to manipulating the school's payroll system. Read more

📜 One year in: President Trump has signed a record 228 executive orders in the first year of his second administration. Here's what to know about each one.

STATE OF CANCER: Iowa's lack of radon mitigation specialists

Radon, a radioactive gas that kills 400 Iowans a year and is a known cause of lung cancer, is found at an elevated level in 70% of Iowa homes. State leaders are trying to get more residents to test for radon.

"Radon testing is cheap," says Rep. Austin Baeth, D-Des Moines. "The data shows that 70% of Iowa homes have an elevated radon level. Yet, probably 1 in 10 have checked in the last decade."

Testing is cheap, but mitigation systems are not. Only 90 specialists in Iowa provide that service, and installation can cost upward of $1,000.

"If you're living in northwest Iowa, the closest person to you is somewhere in Des Moines," says Rep. Hans Wilz, R-Ottumwa.

You can find the full story here.

MORE FROM KCCI'S STATE OF CANCER: