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We have had an abnormally warm start to our November. However, a cold front will put an end to that starting Monday, with widespread rain showers and cooler temperatures. Full forecast at weather.gov/desmoines

After a week of sunshine and 70s, early next week will bring a good amount of precipitation. This will begin late Sunday and will continue through Tuesday. Temperatures will need to be watched as some of this could fall as snow. IowaChase.com

Today marks the anniversary of the infamous 1940 "Armistice Day Blizzard" which struck northern Iowa on November 11-12 with heavy snow, high winds, and bitter cold causing widespread damage and suffering. Primghar reported a storm total of 17.0 inches of snow, while Cushing received 13.0 inches and Estherville and Sanborn 12.0 inches each. As a cold front passed through with the storm, the temperature plummeted rapidly, by as much as 30 degrees in just two hours in some areas..., and on subsequent days reached such cold levels that a number of stations reported record low temperatures for so early in the season. The timing of the storm, which came at the end of a holiday weekend, caused many people to be caught away from home and unprepared for winter weather of this magnitude. Automobile accidents, stalled cars, frozen radiators, and snow drifts over the roads made travel nearly impossible as the storm moved through. Seven people were killed in Iowa, including three whose small plane crashed into Spirit Lake and four hunters who were caught in duck blinds along the Mississippi River and drowned or died of exposure. In neighboring states, especially Minnesota and Wisconsin, there were higher numbers of fatalities among hunters as unusually large numbers of ducks were observed on the morning of the 11th and many went out to hunt them and were caught unprepared in the storm, eventually freezing to death. A total of 154 people were killed across the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. Large numbers of livestock also perished in the open fields with nearly 4,000 cattle, sheep, and hogs estimated to have been lost. The greatest loss of farm animals was turkeys, with between 150,000 and 200,000 of the birds frozen or smothered. It was also estimated that 10-15 million bushels of corn were lost in Iowa. This storm is remembered across much of the region even today by long-time residents and their descendants. A detailed write-up from the NWS Quad Cities office can be found here - https://www.weather.gov/dvn/armistice_day_blizzard

Wind gusts at mid-morning across many parts of Iowa are somewhere between 25 and 35 mph. #iawx

We've still got some gorgeous days ahead before Fall comes roaring back #iawx #Iowa #Fall

Traveler's Guide to NWS winter products. #WinterPrep