The northern part of the state saw freezing temperatures overnight, and the rest of the state is expected to get them tonight.

National Weather Service meteorologist Dylan Dodson says central and southern Iowa are under a freeze warning, and the north will be cold again. “Since we already reached those freezing temperatures in the north last night, the growing season has ended up there. So there’s not a freeze warning for that we issue it for for plant and sensitive stuff like that,” he says. “Since we’ve already reached that hard freeze, there’s not a freeze warning up there, but they will still be reaching temperatures as low as the mid 20s.”

Dodson says this is about that time of year when we start seeing these freezing temperatures, and he says the freezing cold is making a short visit for now. “You know, tonight and tomorrow morning will get pretty cold, and then you’ll see temperatures steadily warming through the week. Tomorrow night’s lows are in the mid to upper 30s, maybe even 40,” Dodson says. “And temperatures during the day, we’ll see highs in the 60s tomorrow, and then 60s, so maybe even the 70s on Thursday, and then by Friday and Saturday, we’ll be back well into the 70s.”

He says we shouldn’t have to worry about the cold again for a while. “Our forecast Friday through the rest of the end of the forecast is in those 70s. And I know that the Climate Prediction Center, their graphics have us for the six to 10-day outlook and then the eight to 14-day outlook are both above normal temperatures,” Dodson says.

While the cold is a concern for most of the state, the far northwest corner of the state remains in a Fire Weather Watch as conditions are right so any fires that develop would likely spread rapidly.