After a December that ranked as the second-warmest in the United States since 1895, bitterly cold temperatures took hold in the Midwest into the middle of January.

A shift back to a milder pattern in mid-January brought back temperatures averaging well above normal, and by late in the month average temperatures for January in Iowa were running above normal in all but some far east-central and southeastern locations. 

Into late January, monthly precipitation and snowfall were averaging near to below normal over much of Iowa, as was seasonal snowfall. A ...