2026/02/24

Eye Opener: Annual Variety Telethon begins today

It's Tuesday, February 24.

Today's emoji forecast: ❄️🔜 Snow chances are coming soon. Jon Rivas has your forecast.

What people are talking about:

The US women's hockey team will not attend the State of the Union address, declining an invitation from President Donald Trump due to scheduling issues.
Actor Robert Carradine, who starred in "Revenge of the Nerds" and "Lizzie McGuire," has died at age 71.
Iowans traveling to Mexico have been forced to shelter in place due to unrest following the death of a prominent cartel leader.

TOP STORY: From Iowa to Africa

THE 101: KCCI's Eric Hanson and chief photographer Robbie Rissman traveled to South Africa in January to spotlight the Iowa generosity impacting millions through clean water, Meals from the Heartland and dozens of other projects.

You can find clips from their special report below:

MORE:

Service, generosity of Iowans make big difference for South Africans

Donations from Iowa have helped drill 100 wells in South Africa

Iowa's Meals from the Heartland helps feed children in South Africa

Egg-laying hens with Iowa lineage feed thousands every day in South Africa

Donating shoes to children, eyeglasses to women, hygiene kits to teen girls

Wild animals, wide-open spaces in South African game reserve

FROM IOWA TO AFRICA: HOW TO HELP:

To pack meals or donate money for materials, contact Meals from the Heartland.
To support Hy-Vee's water for wells program, look for the "One Step" logo on bottled water at Hy-Vee stores.
To learn more about sewing hygiene kits for teenage girls, contact Cindy Pierce at Blessman International: cindy@blessmaninternational.org
Learn more about how to sponsor a child at Del Cramer Children's Center, or contact Jason at the Blessman International: jason@blessmaninternational.org
Learn more about donating a well, sponsoring an Enviro-Loo toilet, the agriculture research farm or any other topic covered in KCCI's report, or contact Blessman International in Urbandale: phone: 515-343-5920 or email: wendi@blessmaninternational.org

4 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

🚨 Urbandale death investigation: Urbandale police are looking into what caused the death of a person found near an apartment complex. Read more

🚓 Iowa crime: An Iowa man is facing charges after he admitted during a job interview with a sheriff's office that he had accessed child pornography online. Read more

🎤 State of the Union: President Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union of his second term tonight. Read more

☎️ Variety telethon: KCCI is partnering with Variety the Children's Charity of Iowa for the 52nd annual Variety Telethon on Tuesday, bringing viewers a day of inspiring stories that highlight the power of community, inclusion, and hope. Read more

WEATHER OUTLOOK

We are trending warmer for today, but it will still be an overall chilly afternoon for the areas that still have snow on the ground.

Highs will range in the 30s and 40s for snow packed areas but snow free spots will climb into the 50s for this afternoon. There will be a southwest breeze ranging from 10 to 15 mph that will aid the temperature rebound for today under mostly cloudy skies.

Wednesday will start off partly cloudy with increasing clouds through the morning and into the afternoon. We will have our next chance for snow moving in for the midafternoon, setting up for some wet flakes possible for the evening commute. This is setting up to be another narrow band of snow with much lower accumulations compared to last week's snowstorm. Either way, the band will have the capability to produce 1 to 3 inches of snow with most of the impacted areas seeing .5 to 1.5 inches. This band is expected to set up over the northern half of the state where central Iowa is situated on the edge as accumulations are expected to stay under an inch for the metro. The path can still adjust as we get closer to late Wednesday, so stay up to date on air and online.

The snow will come to and end Thursday morning before rush hour, but we could still have some slick areas. We will begin our rebound again with highs climbing not the 50s Friday afternoon and even 60s for areas with no snow on the ground. The warmer temps do not last with a breezy cooldown come Saturday. This will also bring in additional snow chances for the weekend with the best chances Sunday and Monday.

DAY BY DAY:

Today: Partly to mostly cloudy skies. High 43F. Winds shifting from SW to NW at 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 20 mph.
Wednesday: Morning sunshine, then increasing clouds. Snow possible later in the afternoon, then evening. High near 36F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High 42F. Winds S around 10 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High 58F. Winds shifting from SW to NW at 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 20 mph.