Sean Dengler.

When these cold bouts of weather come through in the winter, the reasons why people choose to live in Iowa come into question. School is cancelled due to the wind making everything too cold is a good reason not to live in Iowa. Extreme cold warnings shown as bright red on the National Weather Service’s website are not for the faint of heart. Couple this with exploding trees due to the cold, and life does not sound great out on the prairie. It sounds more like a horror film.

Not only is Iowa subject to the intense cold but the intense heat with humidity. Iowa goes from extremely dry air in the winter to weather so humid, one starts sweating upon opening the front door. Add in the corn sweat in the middle of summer, and everyone is feeling uncomfortable. These Iowa extremes are not present in most places in the world so consider this an unseen benefit.

According to Iowa PBS, a major reason for our extreme ping pong of weather is due to Iowa’s location. In addition to the lack of surfing opportunities, the lack of large bodies of water reduces the moderating influence these bodies of water can have on the weather. Due to the lack of an ocean, our weather extremes are more prominent than our beach muscles and good tans.

The cross section of Iowa being in the “rain-shadow” of the Rocky Mountains means the westwardly winds bring us dry air which can be hot. If the wind is out of the north, it brings cool, dry air to help improve our mental psyche during a sweltering summer or chill Iowans to the bones in the winter. Most of Iowa’s precipitation comes from southerly winds from the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, this brought up the southern rust this past growing season which affected the corn.

These winds and the systems they bring can stay in place for a long time in Iowa. This is why it can stay hot and humid or cold and dry for a long time. It also brings the rare occurrence of delightful weather. Going from droughts to floods in an abbreviated time span can happen often in Iowa.

The cherry on top is the severe weather. When it comes to the summer, the sunshine causes moisture in the soil and plants to evaporate. If lighter, cooler air moves on top of the warm, heavy air, it keeps the warm, wet air from rising and cools the water vapor. For winter, the cooler air which can cover Iowa is met with warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. Depending on the season, these air collisions will make a thunderstorm or blizzard.

Living in Iowa is a meteorologist’s dream or for every other Iowan, there is never a dull weather day. When wind chills are in negative double digits, Iowans are expecting the uniqueness of extreme weather most others do not experience. Consider yourself privileged or unlucky. This cold snap might be chilly, but it makes Iowa special. This extremely chilly weather will pass. Soon, it will be so hot and humid, and I will be praying for the frigid wind chills again.

Sean Dengler is a writer, comedian, now-retired beginning farmer, and host of the Pandaring Talk podcast who grew up on a farm between Traer and Dysart. You can reach him at sean.h.dengler@gmail.com.