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Braving the cold

Meteorologist:?Low temps expected to stick around for a while

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari
Gordon Cassen, of Fort Dodge, gets his driveway shoveled Sunday afternoon on Sixth Avenue North. Cassen said he was only planning on being outside for snow removal. The latest cold snap is expected to last throughout the week.

Bitter cold temperatures that have been felt across the state are expected to stick around for a few more days, according to the National Weather Service.

Alex Krull, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, said temperatures at the Fort Dodge Regional Airport were reported as 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit late Sunday afternoon, with wind chills at 11 degrees below zero.

The jet stream is the reason for the cold, he said.

“With the recent passage of the snow system we had, the jet stream has gone really far south,” he said. “And when it goes really far south of Iowa, it tends to bring in colder air from Canada.”

He described the air as “polar and, in some cases, Antarctic.”

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari
Merlin Fallon, of Fort Dodge, uses a snowblower to remove snow from a driveway on Fifth Avenue North, right across the street from Dale’s Corner Store Sunday afternoon.

“When we get that flow, it helps cool our temperatures drastically,” Krull said.

Based on weather outlooks, he said to expect cold temperatures through at least the end of the week, and possibly longer.

“There will be a brief warm up, but we are looking at the colder temperatures to return,” he said.

Very few people could be found out and about in Fort Dodge Sunday afternoon.

One of those few was Gordon Cassen, who was shoveling his driveway on Sixth Avenue North.

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari
While most humans stayed out of the cold Sunday, it didn’t appear to bother a group of deer that was spotted near the former Fair Oaks Middle School, 416 S. 10th St., Sunday afternoon.

“It’s cold,” he said with a laugh. “No one wants to shovel.”

And he wasn’t planning on sticking around for the cold, either.

“This is all I’m going to do outside,” he said.

Krull offered some advice to people if they absolutely have to be outside in the bitter cold.

“If you have to be outside in bitterly cold weather, the best thing to do is cover your skin to minimize frostbite potential,” he said. “Do whatever you can to limit your time outside, even if that means having to sit in your car for 20 minutes waiting for it to warm up. And make sure you’re properly hydrated.”

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