November kicked off winter with unusually chilly weather, but December pulled back in terms of temperature and wind chill. January is typically our coldest month, though winter’s chill was absent in the first week. Going back to November 1st, the coldest wind chills across eastern Iowa have only been in the -2 to -7 range. The lack of snowpack also plays a role, because the air hasn’t gotten as cold as it otherwise could be.
While there is some cold air today, it’ll only generate wind chills a few degrees below zero over northern Iowa for a short time and that’ll be it. Temperatures rise back above normal going into the weekend through at least the first half of next week.