Iowa Caucus Day is expected to be bitterly cold. How will that affect turnout?

Iowa may be looking at its coldest Caucus Day ever — raising questions about turnout.

The forecast for Jan. 15 looks clear of snow but an "arctic cold" is on its way to the state, according to the National Weather Service in Des Moines.

Monday is expected to have a high of zero degrees and wind chills as low as minus 30 degrees in central Iowa.

On the east side of the state, Cedar Rapids could see a high temperature of 1 degree and a low temperature of minus 9 degrees. On the west side in Sioux City, the National Weather Service predicts a high near minus 1.

More: Everything about the Iowa Caucuses that you should know

The cold and high winds are expected to start Saturday and the Weather Service anticipates issuing wind chill warnings.

"Now is the time to check your car batteries, they will be flying off the shelves next week," the National Weather Service says.

GOP chair: No plan B for weather, but still expecting 'robust' turnout

Despite the frigid temps, Republican Party of Iowa chair Jeff Kaufman said he expects Iowans to show up to caucus at 7 p.m. Central.

"I think we're going to have a robust turnout," Kaufmann said. "Weather could prevent a record-breaking turnout, into a great turnout. But you know, it remains to be seen. We don't really have any metrics to guide that."

Kaufmann told reporters Monday morning the party does not have any contingencies in place for severe weather on caucus night, with the current schedule and caucus sites set to continue regardless.

"It's one of those things, kind of like a football game, that's going to go on no matter what," said Kaufmann, adding the party is putting "faith in people's patience to get there."

The turnout record for the Republican caucuses was set in 2016, with 186,000 Iowans who showed up.

Iowa Caucuses has a history of cold

While it may be blisteringly cold this year, this isn't the first time the Iowa Caucuses have seen a winter storm around Caucus Day.

According to the Register's Daniel P. Finney in 2011, Mother Nature tried to put a stop to all this first-in-the-nation caucus business back in 1972.

That year, Iowa Democrats moved their caucuses up to Jan. 24, making them the first test in the presidential nomination process. But icy winds blew a lot harder than the bellows of campaign trail promises, according to Des Moines Register archives and data from former state of Iowa climatologist Harry Hillaker.

On Jan. 23, a blizzard battered the state with winds as fast as 60 mph in parts of northwest Iowa. Snow piled 10 inches deep at Castana in Monona County and 4.4 inches in Des Moines. About a quarter of Democratic caucus sites postponed their polling until Jan. 25, and some didn't get theirs in until Jan. 26.

In all, about 20,000 party activists braved the ice and snow and plowed a path to the quadrennial parade of candidates trying to mint themselves as their party's front-runner for the nation's highest office.

Cold didn't deter big Iowa Caucus crowds in 2008

Cold nights greeted caucusgoers four years ago. Cedar Rapids endured an overnight low of 4 degrees below zero, Des Moines hit 4 degrees and Sioux City, 9.

The day stayed dry, but there was plenty of snow on the ground — 10 inches in Cedar Rapids, 5 in Des Moines and 3 in Sioux City.

The cold deterred few. A record 119,000 Republicans turned out statewide, and nearly 240,000 Democrats caucused. Then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucuses, and political activists credit the victory with helping him ultimately outpace then-New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the nomination and eventually win the White House.

More: Do Iowa Caucus winners go on to earn their party's nomination for president? What we found

Kyle Werner is a reporter with the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How cold it will be for the Iowa Caucuses and will that affect turnout