In Iowa, February is a month of mood swings, for both people and the weather. One morning, you might wake up to a seasonal surge of temperature reaching the upper 50s and 60s, and next thing you know, overnight snow turns morning commutes into slow-moving processions of exhaust and caution lights. For drivers across the Hawkeye State, the cold doesn’t just bite — it shows up unexpectedly. The cold breaks batteries, thickens engine oil, flattens tires, and exposes every weakness a vehicle has been hiding since autumn.
As temperatures swing between snowstorms and sudden thaws, Iowa drivers face a simple reality: winter car care isn’t optional. It’s a must-have during February’s changing weather.
Ben Brown said he woke up one morning to a friend calling him, saying he needed a ride to school.
“I glanced at my phone, and it was 8:03, so I had enough time to drive over and help jumpstart his car,” he said. “I’m happy I had the equipment in my truck to help him out.”
Brown said his friend didn’t have the proper knowledge for his car.
“I got there, and his windshield was frosted over, and he couldn’t scrape it because he had a really cheap one that broke on him,” he said. “I asked him to help me connect the jumper cables, and he wasn’t sure which cable goes where. He just wasn’t prepared for that situation, so I’m really glad I was able to help him out.”
Ben Brown runs Browntown Farms and, during the cold months, offers his services for snowplowing, car startups, and other winter services. Brown said a big problem people overlook is tire pressure.
“Making sure your tire pressure is set is very important,” he said. “For every one degree in temperature change, tire pressure goes down about 0.3 PSI. So when there’s a 30 to zero temperature change, you could lose about five PSI of pressure, so you want to make sure your tires are filled up.”
Brown said everyone should have the right tools and materials in case of an emergency.
“You should have jumper cables, blankets or extra clothes, gloves, and a flashlight that works would be good,” he said.
Wyatt Coburn said he keeps emergency supplies in his car.
“In the wintertime, I carry all my winter gear, like gloves, hats, just in case of a breakdown,” he said.
Coburn said giving your car time to run in the morning is a good habit to start.
“You want your car running for 10, 15 minutes, let it warm up, especially in the extreme cold,” he said. “You can’t just wake up and take off right away; it’s really hard on the motor. You gotta let the oils circulate because they’ll gel up when it gets really cold.”
Officer Criswell is the school resource officer at Norwalk High School. Criswell said students need to adjust their driving style.
“First round of ice or snow, people just driving too fast,” he said. “Driving in the wintertime is not the same as driving in August, where conditions are perfect.”
Criswell said students need to be patient and cautious when it comes to driving in the cold.
“Make sure you have enough time to warm up and defrost your windshield, give yourself 20 minutes in the condition, not rushing things, give time to stop appropriately,” he said.
