Des Moines, IA – Iowa is heading into a colder and potentially snowy holiday period as NOAA’s latest Week 3–4 Outlook shows below-normal temperatures from December 20 through January 2. With both Christmas and New Years falling within this timeframe, residents should prepare for a wintry travel setup across much of the state.
According to NOAA forecasters, a broad push of cold air will dominate Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, northern Illinois, and the Dakotas, keeping temperatures consistently below seasonal norms. Under this pattern, even typical or slightly lighter precipitation is expected to fall primarily as snow, raising the likelihood of several accumulating events through the holiday stretch.
For precipitation, Iowa is positioned mostly within an equal-chances zone, meaning there is no strong signal toward wetter or drier conditions. Still, because temperatures will remain well below freezing at times, forecasters caution that multiple disturbances may produce light to moderate snowfall, especially around Christmas weekend and again as New Years approaches.
Communities across Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Sioux City, Waterloo, Ames, and the I-35 corridor should expect the potential for slick roads, reduced visibility, and travel slowdowns during the Dec. 20–Jan. 2 period. Fast-moving clipper systems, common in this pattern, may deliver quick bursts of snow that accumulate rapidly.
If the colder trend holds, Iowa could be in line for a wintry Christmas landscape and a cold start to 2026.
Forecasters will provide updated system-by-system details as the outlook window nears.
