Iowa City, Johnson County continue to face severe weather conditions

Wind chill temperatures were up to -40 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

January 14, 2024

Ivy Schaefer, 9, and Maddy MacKenzie, 8, climb on a snow fort at Longfellow Elementary School in Iowa City on Thursday, January 11, 2024. A snowstorm swept across Iowa on Tuesday, Jan. 9 and Iowa City reported 15 inches of snow as of 8 p.m. that day.

Ahead of the first week of classes at the University of Iowa and the Iowa caucuses Monday, Johnson County continues to endure freezing temperatures.

The Quad Cities National Weather Service account on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted that parts of eastern Iowa had wind chill temperatures of up to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

🥶🐧 The coldest wind chills from last night through early this afternoon for many locations were -40 F or colder! #iawx #ilwx #mowx pic.twitter.com/CkMV57VUgE

— NWS Quad Cities (@NWSQuadCities) January 14, 2024

The National Weather Service website Sunday reported a high of -8 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, with a low of -20 degrees Fahrenheit in the evening. Monday, which is also MLK Day, was projected to be similarly cold with a high of -3 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of -15 degrees Fahrenheit.

In anticipation of the cold weather, which is projected to continue throughout the week, the UI announced Friday that classes on Tuesday would be moved to Zoom where possible, and otherwise canceled.

The Iowa City Community School District canceled classes on Friday due to the weather according to a post from the district on X, formerly known as Twitter. No classes were scheduled on Monday due to MLK day, and no announcement had been made regarding classes on Tuesday.

Recent weather has also impacted services from the City of Iowa City. On the main page of the city’s website Friday, the city announced places like the Iowa City Public Library and Oakland Cemetery were closed, and services like trash collecting could be impacted as well.

In a press release Saturday, the city also advised against traveling in Johnson County.

The Iowa Department of Transportation was reporting that several roads throughout the state were impassable. Its website also stated that towing was not recommended for several counties throughout the state including Johnson County.

Iowa City got roughly three inches of snow on Friday, with additional snow hitting the area on Saturday. Weather forecasts for the week currently did not project more snow this week, although wind chill advisories are still in effect.

About the Contributors

Alejandro Rojas, News Editor

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Alejandro Rojas is The Daily Iowan's news editor. He previously worked as a news reporter covering Johnson County and was the summer executive editor in 2023. He is a senior, double majoring in journalism and political science.

Grace Smith, Senior photojournalist and filmmaker

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Grace Smith is a fourth-year student at the University of Iowa double majoring in Journalism and Cinematic Arts. In her four years at The Daily Iowan, she has held the roles of photo editor, managing summer editor, and visual storyteller. Outside of The Daily Iowan, Grace has held an internship at The Denver Post and pursued freelance assignments for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and the Des Moines Register.