REGIONALâSpring canât arrive fast enough in NâWest Iowa.
Winter of 2020-21 for the region, much like for the rest of the Midwest, was a brutal one between the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and record cold temperatures.
The region had its first substantial snowfall of the season Nov. 10 and later got a surprise white Christmas with a blanket of flakes happening days before the holiday.
The first blizzard of 2021 swept through much of the state Jan. 14-15. About a month later, NâWest Iowa registered a number of record cold temperatures.
The morning of Sunday, Feb. 14, Primghar, the OâBrien County seat community, experienced its coldest recorded temperature for that date at minus 26 degrees, according to Brad Adams, observing program leader at the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, SD.
REGIONALâNâWest Iowa counties could receive initial shipments of COVID-19 vaccines for certain population groups in time for Christmas.
On Friday, Dec. 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first emergency use authorization for a version of the vaccine jointly developed by pharmaceutical company Pfizer and biotechnology company BioNTech for people ages 16 and older.
âThe FDAâs authorization for emergency use of the first COVID-19 vaccine is a significant milestone in battling this devastating pandemic that has affected so many families in the United States and around the world,â said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in a statement.