With the extreme cold weather approaching the state of Iowa, the National Weather Service dishes out safety reminders to keep in mind.

Iowa was recently hit with snow, and temperatures have been below freezing, which is under 32 degrees, but even colder temperatures are here this week. According to National Weather Service Meteorologist Kristy Carter, a big push of cold air came through the state on Saturday, which is dropping temperatures down in the negatives for much of this week. She lists a number of precautions to take when dealing with the colder weather.

“You’ll certainly want to dress warmly. Make sure that you have a hat, gloves, and a coat if you’re going outside. You’ll want to make sure to protect your pets, bring them inside, and certainly consider things like outdoor faucets and all of that. We did have some of that warmer weather, so if you’ve got a hose out or anything like that, certainly bring that back inside and just take those house precautions.”

The National Weather Service is reporting the high temperatures for much of this week in the single digits, with wind gusts pushing it down below zero degrees. According to Dallas County Emergency Management Specialist Lynn Royer, there will be warming centers open through this at the public libraries in most communities, including Perry, Adel, Minburn, Dexter, and the Roy R Estele Memorial Library in Dallas Center Redfield.