Iowans should prepare for incoming high winds as well as possible storms throughout Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff with the National Weather Service said most of the state is in a high wind warning and can expect gusts from 50 to 70 miles per hour.
Hagenhoff said there’s also a chance of severe thunderstorms.
"This is roughly going to be from 4 to 8 p.m. So embedded within that window for high winds, we’ve got a small window for severe storms," she said. "The main threat with any storms that are able to develop is going to be, of course, gusty winds because you’ve got a thunderstorm on top of already strong winds. There is also a tornado threat with any storms that are able to develop across parts of northern and into central Iowa."
She said residents should prepare for potential power outages.
"We've got a lot of trees across Iowa, of course. Then we’ve got outdoor Christmas decorations and other holiday displays that are out and a lot of loose objects that people will want to secure as well, so a lot of things that could blow around," she said.
Hagenhoff said travelers should rethink plans for Wednesday, especially from 4 to 8 p.m. when thunderstorms are expected.
This is going to make travel extremely difficult, especially for any high profile vehicles, semis any buses on the road, things like that," she said. "Think about how hard it is to drive on the road when you've got 40 mile per hour winds and then double that and then think about how hard that could be to travel."
Hagenhoff said record warm temperatures are also expected in southern Iowa on Wednesday, up to the 60s and 70s.
