A cold front hanging over Iowa on Wednesday morning is expected to buffet Butler County this afternoon.

“It is moving rapidly eastward,” said Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

He said the wild and windy tempest is blowing toward Western Pennsylvania at about 35 mph.

“It will bring falling temperatures along with winds that are going to be 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45,” Hendricks said.

He said rain accompanying the weather front will dampen the ground and allow the wind to bring down weaker trees and branches.

“Those branches tend to like to take wires down with them,” Hendricks said.

He does not expect the widespread, days-long power outages that county residents experienced last November.

“The best chances for that are in the upper ridges of the Allegheny Mountains, east of our area,” Hendricks said. “Just be aware there might be isolated power outages in Butler County.”

Windy weather will continue in the county overnight, when rain could change to snow showers. Hendricks does not expect any accumulation although temperatures will drop into the 30s.

“Temperatures will get up to around 40 again tomorrow,” he said of the Thanksgiving forecast.

Hendricks advises securing garbage cans, lawn furniture and any other loose items inside a garage or other area that is out of the wind.

He also cautioned those driving to Grandma’s for a turkey dinner to use caution on the highways.

Large profile vehicles like tractor-trailer trucks, buses and even large SUVs will be buffeted by the winds.

“Just take it easy in these gusty winds and be prepared for debris coming across the roadway,” Hendricks said.