Decision Support Wind Chill

Latest Forecast

Current Conditions
Staying Safe

Current Watches, Warnings, and Advisories

A Cold Weather Advisory means that apparent temperature values are expected to fall to between -20° and -29°F within the next 24 to 36 hours. Please exercise caution and wear appropriate clothing if heading outdoors for any prolonged period of time.

An Extreme Cold Watch means that apparent temperature values are expected to fall to -35°F or lower over northern Iowa or -30°F or lower over the rest of Iowa within the next two to three days. Start planning to limit any outdoor activity during this time.

An Extreme Cold Warning means that apparent temperature values are expected to fall to -35°F or lower over northern Iowa or -30°F or lower over the rest of Iowa within the next 24 to 48 hours. Please refrain from any unnecessary outdoor activities and wear protective clothing if you must venture outdoors. You can get frostbite in 10-15 min on unprotected skin.

Latest Forecast


Tonight's Lowest Wind Chill Values	Tomorrow Night's Lowest Wind Chill Values
Click each image above to view a larger version. The tonight time period runs from 6pm to 6am CST.

2 Day Hourly Temperature and Wind Chill Graphs

Des Moines
Waterloo
Mason City
Estherville
Fort Dodge
Ames
Marshalltown
Atlantic
Lamoni
Ottumwa

Current Conditions


Current Wind Chill Readings	Current Temperatures
Maps Courtesy of the Iowa Environmental Mesonet

Staying Safe

Here are a few tips to staying safe during times of cold weather:

First and foremost, minimize your time outside. Postpone any outdoor activities if at all possible.
Cover all exposed areas of skin, including your face, to avoid frostbite.
Wear multiple layers of loose fitting clothing, as the air pockets between the layers provides excellent insulation.
Wear mittens instead of gloves as they allow your hands to stay warmer for longer.

What is Wind Chill?

The wind chill temperature is not the actual air temperature, it is a “feels like” temperature when one factors in cold temperatures AND wind speeds. Increasing winds will accelerate the amount of heat lost by the body via exposed skin, driving down the body temperature. Animals are also affected by wind chill.

The only effect wind chill has on inanimate objects, such as car radiators and water pipes, is to shorten the amount of time for the object to cool. The inanimate object will not cool below the actual air temperature. For example, if the temperature outside is -5°F and the wind chill temperature is -31°F, then your car's radiator will not drop lower than -5°F.

The wind chill chart below was developed based on joint U.S.-Canadian research. The chart includes a frostbite indicator, showing the points where temperature, wind speed and exposure time will produce frostbite on humans. Each shaded area shows how long a person can be exposed before frostbite develops.

Note: Wind chill temperature is only defined for temperatures at or below 50°F and wind speeds above 3 mph.
Bright sunshine may increase the wind chill temperature by 10 to 18°F.