Blizzard to Miss Iowa Before Caucus

Can we call it caucus day luck? Though there’s a blizzard threatening to pound Iowa with snow, the event will miss the area as residents turn out for the first in the nation caucus.

According to Iowa weather reports, central and northwestern parts of the state are expected to get hit with several inches of snow this week but it will not accumulate until Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service has placed Madison and Polk Counties in Iowa under a winter storm warning from midnight on Monday until 6.m. on Wednesday. Blizzard conditions are likely, but not all of the state will face snow. In some parts, only heavy rain is expected.

The weather all-clear is good news for Republican candidates—according to a poll of likely caucus goers by the Weather Company, Republicans say they are slightly less likely to attend the caucuses in the case of inclement weather—particularly if there’s ice or heavy snow. Democrats, on the other hand, were a little less weather sensitive.

Though the weather likely won’t strike in time to have an impact on turnout at the caucuses, it could strike in time to leave candidates and the media covering them trapped in the Hawkeye State.