very calm and gentle wind. overnight tonight we'll fall to a fairly mild low of 32 degrees as the low pressure leading to this winter storm moves in. due to temperatures being so warm across the metro and southern iowa, we are likely to see rain first becoming a wintry mix and then snow tonight through tuesday. northwest iowa will likely see all snow starting tonight and lasting through much of the day tuesday with the heaviest snow falling tuesday morning. on top of all of this the wind speeds will likely be high and cause concerns for blowing snow leading to blizzard warnings in west and northwest iowa. snow totals are still tricky with this system. because we will be on the warmer side when this system starts, the metro now looks to be in the 3 to 6 inch category. west and northwest iowa will likely see a larger area of 6 to 12 inches with the heaviest accumulation falling tuesday morning. snow totals are still subject to change during the day as the low pressure bringing them moves across the country towards iowa. we will be cooler and dry through the rest of the week with a warm up into the 30s coming back this

elias: let's get into the top five this morning.... elias: presidential hopefuls spent the weekend in a final frenzy to gain support for tonights caucuses...and organizers are expecting a record turnout from voters. party leaders say if you're looking to get a spot, you should go to the republican or democratic party websites to find out where to go caucus... elias: in the number two spot this morning... elias: the latest des moines register - bloomberg poll show some close numbers leading into the caucuses... for republicans, donald trump remains at the top, but just five-percent above ted cruz... and marco rubio isn't far behind, with 15-percent. elias: the weekend poll shows a similar story for democrats....righ t now only three-percent

hillary clinton from her top rival bernie sanders. elias: the third thing you need to know before you walk out the door... elias: an incoming storm will have eyes on the skies starting later today and into tomorrow... a blizzard watch will take effect tonight...while the daytime is expeted to be mild, the story changes when the sun goes down. some parts of iowa could even see up to a foot of snow once the storm has done its work. elias: number four... elias: a pair of college students have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a virginia teen. over the weekend, police found the body of 13-year-old nicole lovell in neighboring north carolina. authorities arrested an 18- year-old virginia tech engineering student with her death and a 19- year-old female student with helping him get rid of the body. elias: and finally in the top five... elias: talks have begun in switzerland to bring a cease fire to a war that has lead to a massive immigration crisis in the

a united nations special envoy is meeting with representatives of the syrian regime and its opposition in hopes of bringing an end to the country's five-year civil war. elias: back in iowa...waukee city leaders and school district officials have been working on a deal.. the agreement would be for a land swap....giving the schools a piece of land near 6th street and university. they plan to use the space for up two new buildings and bus parking a joint fueling station will also be there for both city and school district use. the district has been parking buses four miles outside of waukee. city leaders say it's a good deal for both parties. brad deets, development of services director: "it comes down to convenience, it comes down to timing for our employees to go elsewhere to get gas and obviously there's a savings relative to the rate of gas because it's bulk fueling as opposed to retail fueling." elias: work on the project starts

by fall. elias: we're back with meterologist sam schreier... sam: (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: today is going to be weather adlib: today is going to be the calm before the storm, so if you have any errands like getting groceries you need to run, i'd get them done before the winter storm and blizzard hits tomorrow. expect mostly cloudy skies with calm and mild conditions. highs today are going to hit near 40 degrees with a very calm and gentle wind. overnight tonight we'll fall to a fairly mild low of 32

this winter storm moves in. due to temperatures being so warm across the metro and southern iowa, we are likely to see rain first becoming a wintry mix and then snow tonight through tuesday. northwest iowa will likely see all snow starting tonight and lasting through much of the day tuesday with the heaviest snow falling tuesday morning. on top of all of this the wind speeds will likely be high and cause concerns for blowing snow leading to blizzard warnings in west and northwest iowa. snow totals are still tricky with this system. because we will be on the warmer side when this system starts, the metro now looks to be in the 3 to 6 inch category. west and northwest iowa will likely see a larger area of 6 to 12 inches with the heaviest accumulation falling tuesday morning. snow totals are still subject to change during the day as the low pressure bringing them moves across the country towards iowa. we will be cooler and dry through the rest of the week with a warm up into the 30s coming back this weekend. elias:

the first shot at choosing who should get the democratic and republican nominations for president. elias: in some parts of the state, the first decisions happen in some pretty unexpected places. mary and gary weaver are hosting their fourth caucus in rippey iowa.... out of their living room. out of 1600 caucus locations across the state... the couple is one of only five private homes that hold a caucus. they say they do it because they feel it's their civic duty to help their neighbors have a close and accessible place to make thier opinions known. they add that although there are a lot of different opinions shared in their living room while people caucus... people seem to get along. "mary weaver - caucus host

may be neighbors may see each other in the grocery store, so its very civil. we're all iowa nice. " elias: right now there are about 120 voters registered in rural district number three... the weavers are expecting about 80 people come caucus night elias: of course....your local election headquarters is local 5 news. we'll be live from caucus central during our midday, 5 and 6 o'clock news. then, expert analysis and insight at 6:30 as you're getting ready to head to caucus during our "this week in iowa" political show special. and our continuous live coverage of the caucuses and the results begins at 7 p.m. and goes until we know who's won. your most insightful and knowledgeable team is local 5 news. elias: at ((time check)) time for short break, but lots more good morning iowa still ahead... coming up, local five continues our celebration of black

"the journey". elias: but first...for those traveling into polk county...be safe this morning... the sheriff's office has automated traffic enforcement vehicles at two locations.... one at the ...44- hundred block of delaware avenue... and a second at the ...five- hundred block of northeast 80th street so take care on the roads today... elias: let's also get a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at valley west... [current conditions] good morning iowa continues after this! "your wathcing good

"your wathcing good

elias johnson, sabrina ahmed and we are iowas most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. this is good morning iowa." sam: weather adlib: today is going to be the calm before the storm, so if you have any errands like getting groceries you need to run, i'd get them done before the winter storm and blizzard hits tomorrow. expect mostly cloudy skies with calm and mild conditions. highs today are going to hit near 40 degrees with a very calm and gentle wind. overnight tonight we'll fall to a fairly mild low of 32 degrees as the low pressure leading to this winter storm moves in. due to temperatures being so warm across the metro and southern iowa, we are likely to see rain first becoming a wintry mix and then snow tonight through tuesday. northwest iowa will likely see all snow starting tonight and lasting through much of the day tuesday with the heaviest snow falling tuesday morning. on top of all of this the wind speeds will likely be high and cause concerns for blowing snow leading to blizzard warnings in west and northwest iowa. snow totals are still tricky with this system. because we

starts, the metro now looks to be in the 3 to 6 inch category. west and northwest iowa will likely see a larger area of 6 to 12 inches with the heaviest accumulation falling tuesday morning. snow totals are still subject to change during the day as the low pressure bringing unlikliest of sources. that was certainly the case for a community of recently freed slaves in a small florida town. they faced a bleak future... that is until a group of nuns showed up on a mission of education. it's part of america's untold journey as local five celebrates black history month. " trt: 1:54 narr - little africa was a community of new freed blacks that settled in st. augustine after the civil war. although they were skilled farmers, high rates of illiteracy would surely condemn them and their children to a life of hard poverty. ending this, would require outside help. sister thomas-joseph mcgoldrick - we came in 1866 at the request of bishop augustin verot. he asked for 8 sisters that would come. father tom willis - i wish you to understand and clearly that it is for the blacks and for them alone that i have

sister thomas-joseph mcgoldrick - and he made it very clear that they were coming to teach the liberated slaves. that that would be their work here. father tom willis - when they arrived they knew no english so they had to learn the language, they had to learn the culture of st. augustine as it existed in the years after the civil war. sister thomas-joseph mcgoldrick - when they started to teach here they taught children, you know. and only boys came to school originally. but weeks later that the little girls started to parents would send night we taught the adults. narr - despite their good works, it wasn't long before the sisters were caught in the rising tide of racial segregation. sister thomas-joseph mcgoldrick - 00:22:18:00 it was illegal to teach black people. 00:28:02:00 there was a lot of animosity about, you know, educating black people. even after the civil war, even after they were free. 00:23:22:00 in 1916 three

arrested and it was on easter sunday and they were arrested over at st. benedicts.. 00:28:51:00 the order to arrest them probably came from the governor, narr - these noble sisters became revered by the people they were sent to help. sister thomas-joseph mcgoldrick 00:15:47:00 - the first nun who died here, the black ladies from the cathedral parish .. they took over the funeral. they said "these women came for us, we're gonna take care of this funeral" . and they did. - tag elias: look for more on america's untold story of the journey right here on local five. we'll be running a new story each monday morning over the coming weeks. in our next edition of america's untold story of the journey, we lear more about a small florida town and its role in shaping the dialogue of racial equality in our country look for that here on good morning iowa next week. elias: we have lots more good morning iowa ahead...but first here's . abc's phillip mena and reena ninan with tech bytes. techbytes samsung s7 date- samsung will reveal its next galaxy device at an event on february 21 in barcelona, according

he there. today'stebytes" -- samsung building its buzz over the next galaxy 7 phone. >> it will be released on february 21st. >> we don't know the name. the galaxy s-7 has not been confirmed. google fiber is expanding its service. the service allows users to use a single phone number for all of their mobile devices. >> and now, kit include a land line. google fib sir testing with select participants aroun the try. and twitter is officially kicking off election season. >> #i voted or #i caucused will see an emoji. >> a trump emoji coming next maybe? >> ooh. >> we'll see.

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jared, kay and zales. "now, we are iowa's most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the independent weather experts" sam weather adlib: put script here in green today is going to be the calm before the storm, so if you have any errands like getting groceries you need to run, i'd get them done before the winter storm and blizzard hits tomorrow. expect mostly cloudy skies with calm and mild conditions. highs today are going to hit near 40 degrees with a very calm and gentle wind. overnight tonight we'll fall to a fairly mild low of 32 degrees as the low pressure leading to this winter storm

temperatures being so warm across the metro and southern iowa, we are likely to see rain first becoming a wintry mix and then snow tonight through tuesday. northwest iowa will likely see all snow starting tonight and lasting through much of the day tuesday with the heaviest snow falling tuesday morning. on top of all of this the wind speeds will likely be high and cause concerns for blowing snow leading to blizzard warnings in west and northwest iowa. snow totals are still tricky with this system. because we will be on the warmer side when this system starts, the metro now looks to be in the 3 to 6 inch category. west and northwest iowa will likely see a larger area of 6 to 12 inches with the heaviest accumulation falling tuesday morning. snow totals are still subject to change during the day as the low pressure bringing them moves across the country towards iowa. we will be cooler and dry through the rest

coming back this weekend. sam toss back.

elias: well time now for another short break... but when we come back... after months of speeches, handshakes, and campaign promises...the big day arrives for presidential hopefuls and iowa voters. just ahead... a deeper look at iowa's first in the nation

"you're watching good morning iowa in hd. we are iowa." elias: it is the center of the political universe right now. elias: after months of stump speeches, town halls, and tv ads, iowa voters are about make the first official decisions of the

contest. but why does iowa still get this first crack at the campaigns -- and how have their picks traditionally influenced the rest of the race? karin caifa explains. "--reporter pkg-as follows-- (hillary clinton, (d) presidential candidate) really good! from pork chops and burger flips -- (sen. marco rubio, (r) presidential candidate) are you flipping these with this or do you have tongs? butter cows to pizza ranch pop-ins. the presidential candidates have checked off all the iowa political rites of passage. and now voters here are poised to make the first decisions of the 20-16 race. iowa positioned itself first in 1972 -- and has held on since. it's state law. drake university professor dennis goldford says that amplifies iowa's voice. (dennis goldford, drake university political science professor) "iowa isn't first because it's important. iowa is important because it's first. whoever is first by being first, will have extraordinary importance by being first compared to

for some candidates tagged as frontrunners for months -- iowa's hard numbers, brought hard reality. like howard dean's third-place finish in 2004. and hillary clinton in 2008. (karin caifa, des moines) "iowa has held on to its first-in-the- nation status, but its track record has been mixed. the iowa caucuses tell us a lot about the candidates, campaigns, and voters -- but not always who will win, in the long haul." iowa democrats did choose barack obama in 2008... (sen. barack obama, (d) presidential candidate) "we are one people. and our time for change has come" in 2004, they chose john kerry -- winner of the nomination, but loser in the general election. and the 2000 iowa winners -- did cast the main characters in the eventual election drama -- (gov. george w. bush, (r) presidential candidate) our message is one that resonates beyond iowa (vice president al gore) to the people of iowa, thank you. -- bush, versus gore. but mike huckabee won here in 2008, while eventual republican nominee john mccain came in fourth. and rick santorum edged mitt romney in 2012. and with home-state senator tom harkin running in 1992, bill clinton only registered single-digit

(dennis goldford, drake university political science professor) iowa does not pick the president. iowa doesn't even necessarily pick the party nominee. what iowa does is reveal unexpected strengths and unexpected weaknesses in the campaigns. with a mere six electoral votes in the general election, caucus day will pretty much end iowa's 20-16 stardom. it may also mean the end for some campaigns. but it's just the beginning of the process, of choosing the next president of the united states. in des moines, iowa, i'm karin caifa. -----end-----cnn.script----- elias: the build up has been on part with that of the 2008 election...which had a record turnout. republican and democrat organizers are expecting a strong turnout tonight....possibl y even a new record. and local five will have full coverage starting at 6-30 this evening. elias: time for a short break...coming up, sam's in with central iowa's most accurate forecast... but first...a quick look at traffic...

conditions] good morning iowa returns after this.

moring iowa in hd. we are iowa's most accurate weather team. good morning iowa starts now " " (donald trump, (r) presidential candidate): "it all doesn't matter if you don't caucus monday." (hillary clinton / (d) presidential candidate) "of course it's close its competitive that's why i hope everyone who has decided to caucus for me will come out monday night." (sen. ted cruz, (r) presidential candidate): "if every person brings 9 additional people to caucus monday night, we will win the iowa caucus." (sen. bernie sanders / (d) presidential candidate) "when we started this campaign here in iowa, we were 50 or 60 points behind secretary clinton. we have come a long, long way.so i think if the turnout is high,......i think we've got a real shot to win this.""

the weekend has been a frenzy of campaigning, as presidential frontrunners try to cement their leads heading into tonight's caucuses....but with some close races, nothing is guaranteed. elias: thanks for joining us on your [day of week] morning, i'm elias johnson... elias: weather is always first on good morning iowa... in with central iowa's most accurate forecast... meteorologist sam schreier. sam: (adlib toss) sam weather adlib: today is going to be the calm before the storm, so if you have any errands like getting groceries you need to run, i'd get them done before the winter storm and blizzard hits tomorrow. expect mostly cloudy skies with calm and mild conditions. highs today are going to hit near 40 degrees with a very calm and gentle

fairly mild low of 32 degrees as the low pressure leading to this winter storm moves in. due to temperatures being so warm across the metro and southern iowa, we are likely to see rain first becoming a wintry mix and then snow tonight through tuesday. northwest iowa will likely see all snow starting tonight and lasting through much of the day tuesday with the heaviest snow falling tuesday morning. on top of all of this the wind speeds will likely be high and cause concerns for blowing snow leading to blizzard warnings in west and northwest iowa. snow totals are still tricky with this system. because we will be on the warmer side when this system starts, the metro now looks to be in the 3 to 6 inch category. west will likely see a larger area of 6 to 12 inches with the heaviest accumulation falling tuesday morning. snow subject to change low pressure bringing them moves across the we will be cooler and of the week with a warm up into the 30s weekend.

with the caucuses just hours away, we have some last minute advice for those thinking about participating... elias: there is good news for those still on the fence about joining the caucus process tonight. organizers are expecting a record turnout for this event... party leaders say if you're looking to get a spot, you should go to their websites to find out more. people can type in their address to determine where to go caucus... or they can call either party headquarters.. josh levitt, iowa democratic party press secretary: "we're asking folks to get there early just for sign in and registration purposes, but the great thing about our caucuses is that your voice matters and this is your opportunity to have your voice heard. iowa has such a special place in the process, and this is your chance to make it happen." charlie szold, iowa republican communications director: "you can register day of, you can switch your registration right there. and then go inside and learn about the candidates. there'll be literature from the candidates, people are going to get up and give speeches about the candidates. you can

to learn in the final couple of hours. just make sure you get out there and caucus." elias: the phone lines will be staffed until the caucuses begin later tonight. if you have to leave a message, they will call you back. elias: the wait is over... it is decision day in iowa. the 2016 presidential nomination process... kicking off today. the candidates... spending the night crisscrossing the state. hoping to win the first-in-the- nation caucuses. abc's lana zak is in des moines with the latest... it sounds like you want clinton nats- clinton sot: "i am a better candidate, and thanks to you, i will be a better president, and i want you to know that." gfx: time is up for the three democrats and the eleven republicans running for president (nats) rob sand will be administering a caucus in western des moines "i think a lot of people are going to make that decision when they're listening to their neighbors." in fact, on both the republican and the democratic side, the last iowa poll found 5-points or less

place ?and with about a third of voters still waivering in their support, campaigns can influence the results up to the last second. (cruz church nat pop) in their final day on the trail, ted cruz attended church, churchgoer: "i'll vote for you if you promise to run this country like a god fearing christian." cruz :"you have my word" he said he prayed for donald trump and marco rubio, who made this appeal-- rubio "i'm asking you to caucus for me tomorrow night because if i'm president of the united states, when i'm president of the united states, we will confront the challenges of our time." rubio fighting hard for an upset second place finish...or better trump "get out of bed and caucus!" and donald trump, long the man in the lead, gave his wife melania the mic to close the deal in iowa. melania sot. "he will be unbelievable." tag: on the republican side, we will expect results to start coming in soon after 7 central, for the democrats though, the results often take longer since those caucuses are like a

to sway voters from the non-competitive candidates over to their side. lana zak abc news, des moines, iowa verbatim:" elias: headquarters is local 5 news. we'll be live from caucus central during our midday, 5 and 6 o'clock news. then, expert insight at 6:30 as ready to head to our "this week in iowa" political show special. and our continuous live caucuses and the results begins at 7 p.m. we know who's won. your most insightful and knowledgeable team is local 5 news. elias: we're back with meterologist sam schreier... (sam adlibs) sam: weather adlib: weather adlib: the calm before the any errands like getting groceries you need to run, i'd get them done before the winter storm and

tomorrow. expect mostly cloudy skies with calm and mild conditions. highs today are going to hit near 40 degrees with a very calm and gentle wind. overnight tonight we'll fall to a fairly mild low of 32 degrees as the low pressure leading to this winter storm moves in. due to temperatures being so warm across the metro and southern iowa, we are likely to see rain first becoming a wintry mix and then snow tonight through tuesday. northwest iowa will likely see all snow starting tonight and lasting through much of the day tuesday with the heaviest snow falling tuesday morning. on top of all of this the wind speeds will likely be high and cause concerns for blowing snow leading to blizzard warnings in west and northwest iowa. snow totals are still tricky with this system. because we will be on the warmer side when this system starts, the metro now looks to be in the 3 to 6 inch category. west and northwest iowa will likely see a larger

with the heaviest accumulation falling tuesday morning. snow totals are still subject to change during the day as the low pressure bringing them moves across the country towards iowa. we will be cooler and dry through the rest of the week with a warm up into the 30s coming back this weekend. elias: a pair of college students face charges in a virginia teen's death...as we look at national headlines this morning. elias: over the weekend the body of 13- year-old nicole lovell was found in north carolina...she had been missing for days from her virginia home. police have now arrested and charged an 18- year-old virginia tech engineering student with her death and a 19- year-old female student with helping him get rid of the body. investigators are still trying to piece together what happened in the teen's death. elias: meanwhile, talks have begun in switzerland to

that has lead to a massive immigration crisis in the middle east. a united nations special envoy is meeting with representatives of the syrian regime and its opposition in hopes of bringing an end to the country's five-year civil war. more than 300- thousand people have died since the fighting began in march of 20-11.. elias: at ((time check)) we'll take a short break here on good morning iowa... coming up, as iowa voters prepare to head to the caucuses....some will be supporting candidates in unique locations. elias: but before we go...as you get ready to start your day...be safe out on the roads.... des moines police will have mobile radar set up at three locations... the first at the 18-hundred block of second avenue...southbo und another at the 29-hundred block of east walnut ...east bound.. and a third at the 16-hundred block of 56th....facing southbound. so use caution while driving.. elias: while we're at it... a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at mlk...

good morning iowa continues after this!

morning iowa in hd with elias johnson, sabrina ahmed and we are iowas most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. this is good morning iowa." elias: the storm that's expected to hit iowa on tuesday, has already done damage in california. check out this video of the same system that's headed our way. of course, we

the same type of damage, or the same type of precipitation...io wans will be bracing for some significant snowfall... sabrina: anchor toss to wx sam: adlib toss. sam: weather adlib: today is going to be the calm before the storm, so if you have any errands like getting groceries you need to run, i'd get them done before the winter storm and blizzard hits tomorrow. expect mostly cloudy skies with calm and mild conditions. highs today are going to hit near 40 degrees with a very calm and gentle wind. overnight tonight we'll fall to a fairly mild low of 32 degrees as the low pressure leading to this winter storm moves in. due to temperatures being so warm across the metro and southern iowa, we are likely to see rain first becoming a wintry mix and then snow tonight through tuesday. northwest iowa will likely see all snow starting tonight and lasting through much of the day tuesday with the heaviest snow falling

wind speeds will likely concerns for blowing west and northwest iowa. snow totals are still tricky with this system. because we will be on the warmer side when this system starts, the metro now inch category. west and northwest iowa area of 6 to 12 inches accumulation falling tuesday morning. snow totals are still subject to change during the day as the low pressure bringing them moves across the country towards iowa. we will be cooler and dry through the rest of the week with a warm up into the 30s coming back this weekend. elias: we have more good morning iowa coming up right after the break... but first here's what's coming up on "good morning america." "good morning america

"you're watching good morning iowa in hd. we are iowa." elias: iowans get the first shot at choosing who should get the democratic and republican nominations for president today. elias: it can be full of glitz and glam. the caucuses have attracted big name celebrities and national media. but in other parts of the state, the first decisions happen in some pretty unexpected places. local fives nikki davidson explains. " " out where its quiet...

some will leave the beaten path... for a dirt road... that leads here. (yes we're very excited) to where mary weaver is baking up a big patch of "donkey bars"... a democratic snack... for the democrats that will be making a big decision smack dab in the middle of her home. nikki: this is one of only five places left in iowa, where the caucus happens in a living room. (we have three delegates that will be coming out of this caucus) that means friends and neighbors will gather here... and choose one of four groups to join... clinton... sanders...o'malley... or uncommitteed. 54:43:09 i think 9 out of 10, 95% of people have their minds made up when they come arleady. its the fourth time the weavers have offered their home up for a caucus location... in 2008... (he got the most delegates, obama did) their pick headed to the whitehouse.. (white board) but why the living room location?

1:01:51 we do it just because we're so rural, we'd be driving 20, 30 miles 1:02:05 we're doing it as a convience for us and our neighbors. the way democrats caucus... (papers) by actually moving form groups to support a candidate means nothing is left unsaid...(marker) political differences are actually the center of attention.... and there are a lot of opinions... 56:57:02 that part makes but when a caucus is in living room... at the end of the day... they've all still got to live next to each other. 54:23:05 you know each other, may be neighbors may see each other in the grocery store, so its very civil. we're all iowa nice. reporting in rippey, nikki davidson local five news we are iowa. elias: the caucus actually started out this way... happening in people's living rooms... but today out of 1600 total caucus locations... only five happen in peoples homes. right now there are about 120

rural district number three... the weavers are expecting about 80 people come caucus night... elias: time for another short break...but before we go let's get a quick look at traffic... this is i-235 at west mixmaster [current conditions] sam says ??? he's in with central iowa's most accurate forecast next...

"now, we are iowa's most accurate forecast with meteorologist sam schreier. certified by weatherrate the

sam weather adlib: put script here in green today is going to be the calm before the storm, so if you have any errands like getting groceries you need to run, i'd get them done before the winter storm and blizzard hits tomorrow. expect mostly cloudy skies with calm and mild conditions. highs today are going to hit near 40 degrees with a very calm and gentle wind. overnight tonight we'll fall to a fairly mild low of 32 degrees as the low pressure leading to this winter storm moves in. due to temperatures being so warm across the metro and southern iowa, we are likely to see rain first becoming a wintry mix and then snow tonight through tuesday. northwest iowa will likely see all snow starting tonight and lasting through much of the day tuesday with the heaviest snow falling tuesday morning. on top of all of this the wind speeds will likely be high and cause

blizzard warnings in west and northwest iowa. snow totals are still tricky with this system. because we will be on the warmer side when this system starts, the metro now looks to be in the 3 to 6 inch category. west and northwest iowa will likely see a larger area of 6 to 12 inches with the heaviest accumulation falling tuesday morning. snow totals are still subject to change during the day as the low pressure bringing them moves across the country towards iowa. we will be cooler and dry through the rest of the week with a warm up into the 30s coming back this weekend. sam toss back.

a final look at the top five... all the news you need to know before you head out the door... right after this.

let's get a final look at your top five.... elias: presidential hopefuls spent the weekend in a final frenzy to gain support for tonights caucuses...and organizers are expecting a record turnout from voters. party leaders say if you're looking to get a spot, you should go to the republican or democratic party websites to find out where to go caucus... sabrina: elias: in the number two spot this morning... elias: the latest des moines register - bloomberg poll show some close numbers leading into the caucuses... for republicans, donald trump remains at the top, but just five-percent above ted cruz... and marco rubio isn't far behind, with 15-percent. elias: the weekend poll shows a similar story for democrats....righ t now only three-percent separates hillary clinton from her top rival bernie sanders. sabrina: elias: the third thing you need to know before you walk out the door... elias: an incoming storm will have eyes on the skies starting later today and into tomorrow... a blizzard watch will take effect tonight...while the daytime is expeted to be mild, the story changes when the sun goes down. some parts of

of snow once the storm has done its work. sabrina: elias: number four... elias: a pair of college students have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a virginia teen. over the weekend, police found the body of 13-year-old nicole lovell in neighboring north carolina. authorities arrested an 18- year-old virginia tech engineering student with her death and a 19- year-old female student with helping him get rid of the body. sabrina: elias: and finally... you'll want to know about this story in the big five... elias: talks have begun in switzerland to bring a cease fire to a war that has lead to a massive immigration crisis in the middle east. a united nations special envoy is meeting with representatives of the syrian regime and its opposition in hopes of bringing an end to the country's five-year civil war. sabrina elias: sam is in with a final look at central iowa's most accurate forecast... sam final weather adlib today is going to be the calm before the storm, so if you have any errands like getting groceries you need to run, i'd get them done before the winter storm and blizzard hits tomorrow. expect mostly cloudy skies with calm and mild conditions. highs today are going to hit near 40 degrees with a very calm and gentle wind. overnight tonight we'll fall to a fairly mild low of 32 degrees as the low pressure leading to this winter storm moves in. due to temperatures being so

iowa, we are likely to see rain first becoming a wintry mix and then snow tonight through tuesday. northwest iowa will likely see all snow starting toght and lasting through much of the day tuesday with the heaviest snow falling tuesday morning. on top of all of this the wind speeds will likely be high and cause go morning, america. and they're off. the first votes finally here in the race for president. >> it's going to be big. >> we are going to make american histy. >> bernie sanders says overnight, his campaign going all the way to the convention. ted cruz blasted for last-minute campaign tactics. a grueling year on the campaign trail. >> they throw all this stuff at me and i'm still standing. >> we're going to build a wall. >> donald, you won't be able to insult your way to the presidency. 1500 rallies 11 debates and it