Very dry air, recent drought conditions, and a cold air mass have conspired to create very cold temperatures over Iowa this week. Cedar Rapids had a low temperature of 16 degrees on Tuesday, which smashed the previous record for the date and was the earliest such temperature for the season by over a week. The featured chart presents the seasonal combination of first date with a low temperature below 17 and the number of such dates for the season. Last season's total is highlighted along with the extreme dates. Having such a cold temperature this early in the season does not necessarily portend to having an above average number for the season. The good news for those that would like fall to stick around before winter arrives is that the near term forecast has much warmer temperatures and even a chance of rain.

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