‘Life-threatening’ arctic temperatures hit Iowa on caucus day

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People from Iowa are getting ready for the state caucus which is predicted to be the most frigid one on record. The entire place is going to be covered by multiple inches of snow and polar temperatures on Monday.

The caucus is an event that everyone is excited about because it kicks off the presidential election season. In Iowa, the Republican caucus will decide how many delegates each candidate will receive for the Republican National Convention out of the state's 40 available delegates.

This year's Iowa Republican caucus is not expected to be a close race since former president Donald Trump is leading in several polls. Other potential candidates such as Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy are likely to compete for second place.

Most parts of Iowa have a wind chill warning in effect until Tuesday, including some areas that may experience temperatures as low as -35F (-37C). According to the National Weather Service, these extreme temperatures have the potential to cause frostbite within just ten minutes and are considered dangerous to human life.

During these perilous circumstances, ex-president Donald Trump urged Iowa Republicans to cast their ballots even if they feel extremely unwell, and he assured them that their vote would still hold value, even if they were to lose their life.

Iowa locals are likely to face extremely cold wind chills on Monday to Tuesday morning. This is concerning as they will be travelling to their caucus venues in the evening.

Weather experts predict that there will be a slight snowfall towards the end of the week, which won't be as heavy as the one from last week, where some parts of Iowa received over twelve inches of snow.

At the same time, the region experienced heavy snowfall, strong gusts of wind, and perilous situations for travelers while locals made ready for the political gatherings that took place last week.

Last week, there were several car accidents that happened due to the bad weather condition. The Iowa State Patrol shared a warning on X, advising people not to travel and also uploaded photos of their own patrol car that was hit from the back on Interstate 80 while snow was piling up on the ground.

A number of individuals running for the Republican nomination were persevering last week's severe weather in preparation for the upcoming caucus. Past leader Donald Trump, Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis and former UN representative and previous Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley were extended invitations to participate in a debate scheduled for Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa.

On Tuesday morning, despite a few inches of snow, Ms. Haley organized a campaign event in Waukee, Iowa.

The air transportation in the US has been affected greatly with numerous cancellations and delays happening last weekend and extending to this week. Yet, it's uncertain whether these circumstances will linger until the following week.