2026/03/12

Eye Opener: Cyclones, Hawkeyes advance in conference tournaments

It's Thursday, March 12.

Today's emoji forecast: 💨🍃 A high wind warning will go into effect tonight. Jon Rivas has your forecast.

What people are talking about:

Polk County health officials are hoping to raise awareness about data showing gun violence is one of the leading causes of death for youth in the county.
Two tornadoes were confirmed in Iowa during Tuesday's storms.
The Department of Defense officially confirmed the identity of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, as one of the soldiers killed in action in Kuwait.

TOP STORY: Cyclones, Hawkeyes both advance in conference basketball tournaments

THE 101: Iowa State and Iowa each won their opening games in the Big 12 and Big Ten tournaments.

WHY IT MATTERS: Iowa State is battling for a potential No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and is seeking its sixth Big 12 Tournament title since 2014.

Iowa avoided a bad loss and has all but clinched a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

The Cyclones return to action today at 11:30 a.m. to play No. 4 seed Texas Tech. The Hawkeyes are back at 11 a.m. today against No. 8 seed Ohio State.

MAIN TAKEAWAYS:

Iowa State's beatdown of Arizona State broke the Big 12 Tournament record for margin of victory. The Cyclones' score from either half (45 in the first, 46 in the second) would have been enough to beat Arizona State over the full game.
Iowa got much-needed revenge against Maryland after the Terrapins beat Iowa in February. The Hawkeyes could've been on the bubble with another iffy loss, but they should be safely in the field with chances to improve their seeding between now and Selection Sunday.

4 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

🍖 Triple B's: A restaurant in Johnston is serving up delicious food while offering special needs workers the chance to learn real-world job skills. Read more

💧 Water quality concerns: Last summer, more than half a million Iowans faced high nitrate levels in drinking water sources. Now, funding cuts could shut down the system designed to warn utilities about nitrate level spikes. Read more

🛢️ Oil prices: The secretary of energy says the US will release 172 million barrels of oil to combat steep oil prices amid the Iran war. Read more

🥇 State hoops update: The 3A state semifinals both came down to the final seconds, including a double-overtime thriller between ADM and Storm Lake. Read more

HIGH WINDS IN IOWA

A clipper system is approaching which will lead to gusty winds ahead of a cold front that will pass over tonight which will also bring some scattered showers overnight. Before the front, expect south southwest winds around 15 to 25 mph and gusts 40 to 50 mph for the afternoon. Overnight, the cold front will pass which will bring stronger winds over the state. Winds will shift from the south and become west northwest with sustained winds around 20 to 30 mph and gusts 50 to 60 mph. A high wind warning will be in effect overnight through Friday morning. These powerful winds can cause tree damage, power outages, and dangerous travel conditions. A big concern for I-35 travel overnight with the extreme cross wind generated by these gusts which will have the capability of knocking over semis.

The winds will weaken for Friday afternoon. Our eyes then turn to the weekend where we will see snow chances return. Saturday will have a chance for patchy light snow for the morning, ending into the afternoon. Sunday will be a different story. A strong Colorado low will be pushing over the Midwest. The strong wind threat will be back with 40 to 50 mph wind gusts possible. The snow chance is still in question with rain switching to snow through the day. Depending on the amount of snow we see will determine the extent of the travel concerns. The way it sits now, the worst of it will be in northern Iowa into Minnesota and Wisconsin. If the track of the heaviest snow is able to get pushed south, we could see whiteout conditions Sunday into Monday over parts of the state.

The cold, gusty winds, and potential for blowing snow will continue into Monday morning and eventually calm down deeper into the day. Wind chills will return to double digits below zero for the start of the new work week. We will not warm up until mid-week with another chance for snow Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

HIGH WINDS TODAY AND TOMORROW:

Today: Clear and calmer early. Winds and clouds increase by afternoon. High 59F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Gusts up to 45 mph.
Tonight: Strong winds overnight. A few rain showers possible north. Low 34F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Gusts above 45 mph.
Tomorrow: Partly to mostly cloudy. High 45F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Tomorrow Night: Becoming cloudy. slight chance of rain/snow overnight. Low around 32F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.