Brutal cold adds another layer to Republicans' final push in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa — Ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses, Republican presidential hopefuls have been traversing the state for months, making their cases as to why they are the best candidate to challenge President Biden.

But in the final days before the caucuses, they also had to make another argument: to convince voters to come out in dangerous temperatures.

Monday could be the coldest caucus day on record, with lows at evening caucus time well under zero, and a wind chill that's much colder. The freezing temperatures follow multiple snowstorms that blew through the state in recent days, forcing campaigns to cancel events or move them online.

The forecast — brutal even by Iowa standards — could mean a depressed turnout, and has thrown a, at times by as much as 30 percentage points.