Sawt Falasteen - Severe weather freezes Iowa caucus campaigning

Forecasters warned of "fairly intense blizzard conditions" throughout much of the Midwestern state, as the National Weather Service (NWS) said wind gusts of 50 to 55 miles (80 to 89 kilometers) per hour, paired with blowing snow, could reduce visibility down to a quarter of a mile.

Monday's caucuses are the first vote of the 2024 White House race, but the extreme weather was making life difficult for the candidates.

Trump had vowed to show up despite the weather, but ultimately converted planned weekend appearances to tele-rallies "out of an abundance of caution," his campaign said.

With temperatures in the capital Des Moines around 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (-17 degrees Celsius) and expected to plunge further overnight, the streets were deserted on Saturday, except for snow removal workers, according to AFP journalists on the scene.

The storm will be followed by an "Arctic outbreak" of "bitter cold," according to the NWS, with wind chill falling below -30 degrees Fahrenheit (-34 Celsius) in Iowa and across the region over the weekend.

Another two or more inches of snow was predicted for the state, for a total of up to 10 inches in some areas, creating whiteout conditions.

- 'Get people to the polls' -

The weather raised serious concerns over caucus turnout as White House hopefuls Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley seek to overtake Trump or at least keep their candidacies alive.

Iowa's Republican Governor Kim Reynolds promised "to get people to the polls on caucus night" regardless of the weather.

After moving all of Friday's events online, former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Haley had a campaign event scheduled in the town of Davenport on Saturday.

DeSantis also planned to meet with voters in Des Moines on Saturday.

"We want to win, we're here to get every vote we can," the 45-year-old Florida governor told reporters Friday.

For his part, Trump is counting on a resounding win in Iowa to help him quickly bag the nomination in the November election, even as his four criminal indictments loom.

"We wouldn't miss it for anything," Trump said in a video posted earlier to his Truth Social platform.

- Flight chaos -

Flights carrying thousands of reporters and political observers to Iowa were canceled or rerouted to neighboring states, also facing fallout from the massive storm.

Nearly 1,900 flights were canceled across the country Saturday, according to flightaware.com.

In Illinois, which borders Iowa to the east, local media reported that more than 100,000 households lost power Friday as wind and snow pummeled the state, but by evening, the lights were back on for most customers.

Further west, the NWS said Montana and the Dakotas could see temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit.

"These extreme apparent temperatures will pose a risk of frostbite on exposed skin and hypothermia," the agency warned.

The winter weather was also threatening key football games over the weekend, as the NFL enters its postseason.

Communities in the western United States were also expected to get hit with snow, as a storm system collides with freezing Arctic air.

Considerable accumulation was expected over parts of Oregon, Idaho and Utah, while sleet and freezing rain were expected in the South and Northeast.

R.Shaban--SF-PST