Des Moines, IA – Iowa will be hit with a burst of Arctic air early next week, sending temperatures plummeting into the 20s and teens and ending the state’s mild start to November. According to the NOAA Weather Prediction Center, the powerful cold front will surge through the state Monday, November 10, bringing the coldest air of the fall so far by early Tuesday morning, November 11.
Forecast lows are expected to reach 23°F in Des Moines, 21°F in Cedar Rapids, and 19°F in Sioux City, while northern Iowa towns like Mason City and Decorah could see temperatures drop into the mid-teens. Gusty northwest winds of 25–35 mph will make it feel even colder, with wind chills falling into the single digits in parts of the north.
The National Weather Service offices in Des Moines and Sioux Falls have issued freeze warnings across the entire state. According to the Weather Prediction Center’s Day 3–7 Hazards Outlook, Iowa lies within a massive “Frost/Freeze” corridor stretching from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast — one of the earliest and most expansive November cold events in years.
Tuesday’s highs will remain unseasonably cold, reaching only the mid-30s north and near 40°F south, roughly 20 degrees below normal. Skies will clear but the cold will persist into Wednesday morning before temperatures begin a slow rebound later in the week.
Residents are urged to bring pets indoors, cover outdoor plants, and wrap pipes ahead of Monday night’s freeze. Motorists should use caution for possible frost or icy spots on bridges early Tuesday.
