Ahead of the first Republican primaries, a “dangerous winter storm” hits the US state of Iowa | outside

In recent days, large parts of the country have been exposed to heavy rain and snow. The winter storm has already claimed many lives and left hundreds of thousands of homes without power. At least code yellow applies to every state, and in some states even code orange or red applies, the US Weather Service NWS announced on X, formerly Twitter.

Iowa will see a “dangerous winter storm with high winds. About 3 to 6 inches of snow will also fall,” the weather service said. The situation remains critical as of Saturday morning. Travel in rural areas could be dangerous.

Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, was completely covered in snow on Friday. An Agence France-Presse journalist at the scene of the accident indicated that cars and trucks overturned. Many flights were cancelled.

The winter storm comes at the start of the US election year in Iowa, where the Republican Party caucus will be held on Monday. Five candidates are still vying to become the Republican Party's presidential nominee, but according to exit polls there is no doubt that Donald Trump will win the first primary.

Former President Trump and his main rivals Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have canceled several events in Iowa due to weather conditions.

The storm is expected to gain strength across the country, bringing snow to the Midwest and severe thunderstorms to the South. Temperatures in the north of the country can drop to -34 degrees Celsius.

Watch also. Last weekend, Trump confirmed during a speech in Iowa that he would win the presidential elections “for the third time.”