DES MOINES, Iowa —

The day before Thanksgiving, shoppers packed grocery aisles across central Iowa, filling carts with turkey, stuffing, and last-minute ingredients. But mixed in with the holiday rush was a growing sense of urgency about what is coming after the leftovers are packed away: the first snowstorm of the season.

That storm is expected to start Friday night , and city officials say it could be the kind of fast-moving system that makes travel dangerous. Des Moines public works crews are already preparing equipment, stockpiling materials, and urging drivers to stay off the roads once snow begins.

Windsor Heights shopper Lori Langos says her family is dividing up the holiday workload to stay ahead of the storm. "My husband’s in charge of preparing for the snow. I’ll fix the turk

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