Sawt Falasteen - 'Intense' US blizzard blows Iowa caucus campaigning off course

Forecasters warned of "fairly intense blizzard conditions" throughout much of the Midwestern state, as the National Weather Service (NWS) said 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.

The extreme weather was making life difficult for White House hopefuls Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who both canceled events just days before Monday's caucus in Iowa -- the first vote of the 2024 White House race.

"We want everyone to be safe," DeSantis told reporters in the state capital Des Moines.

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 also predicted for the state, for a total of up to 10 inches in some areas, creating whiteout conditions.

Dozens of cars and trucks were seen overturned in Des Moines, and the Iowa State Patrol said on social media they had performed 355 "motorists assists" Friday before 1:30 pm (1930 GMT).

"Treacherous driving is expected to continue through the rest of today and into tonight," the state's local NWS posted on social media. "Travel is highly discouraged!"

The weather raised serious concerns over caucus turnout as Haley and DeSantis seek to overtake former president Donald Trump, who is leading polls for the Republican presidential nomination by a wide margin nationally and in Iowa.

The state's Republican Governor Kim Reynolds promised, "We're going to get people to the polls on caucus night," regardless of the weather.

Former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Haley moved all of Friday's events online, even as she had implored Iowans to not let the weather stop them from showing up Monday.

"I'll brave anything we need to," DeSantis told reporters standing outside in the snow.

"We want to win, we're here to get every vote we can," said the 40-year-old, hoping to face President Joe Biden in the general election later this year.

But Trump, whose campaign also announced a weather-adjusted schedule including several virtual rallies, is counting on a resounding win in Iowa to help him quickly seal up the nomination as his four criminal indictments loom.

- 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.

More than 2,000 flights were canceled across the country, including more than 400 at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, according to flightaware.com.

By Friday evening, the lights were back on for most customers in Illinois, where local media reported that more 100,000 had lost power earlier in the day as wind and snow pummeled the state.

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 post-season.

While Missouri's Kansas City Chiefs are more accustomed to the cold predicted for Saturday's game, the opposing Miami Dolphins are used to the balmy weather of Florida.

The western US was also expected to get hit with snow, as a storm system collides with freezing Arctic air.

Forecasters said there could be considerable accumulation over parts of Oregon, Idaho and Utah, while sleet and freezing rain were expected Friday and Saturday in the South and Northeast.

The storms come on the heels of severe cold weather that slammed much of the United States earlier in the week, causing several deaths and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.

N.AbuHussein--SF-PST