ON THE
SIDE By LEN STRASBURG (handwritten "on 1979")
Manchester LBJ (Lee Joslyn) says it has snowed 35 times this winter.
Frankly I'd rather keep records on something more pleasant. How about the
number of sunny days in January?
However, if you maintain a morbid interest in unpleasant subjects, here's
the straight scoop on the snow (no pun intended).
January of 1979 was easily the second coldest January since the
1880's,and one of the snowiest on record. The entire winter ranks as one
of Iowa's worst.
Following a New Year's Eve snowstorm, very cold, dry weather continued
until a major winter storm of Jan. 11-13. Over the eastern counties
it was one of the most paralyzing storms in many years.
The next major storm occurred less than a week later, Jan. 18 and 19,
producing 2 to 4 inches of new snow in the north while spreading sleet
and ice over southern Iowa. Additional snowfalls on Jan. 23 and again
Jan. 26-27 helped make January, 1979, one we won't soon forget.
The big storm of Jan. 11-13 dumped heavy snow in the southeast and eastern
counties. Some notable accumulations - 18 inches of snow fell at Clinton
and 18.4 inches at Davenport. The snowfall in that storm in the southeast
counties was 12 to 15 inches most places.
When it was over snow depths in the eastern two or three tier counties
from Dubuque south were more than 20 inches. Bitter cold and strong winds
followed on the heels of the storm, with chill factors in the state
falling as far as 60 to 80 degrees below zero in some places on Jan. 14
and 15.
Actual temperatures were from 15 to 30 degrees below zero and winds
whipped along at 30 and 40 m.p.h. blowing the snow.
It was the coldest January on record in many places around the midlands,
including Sioux City. At Dubuque it was the third coldest January on
record and at Waterloo, the fourth coldest. In the Manchester area you can
take your choice, third or fourth. For the state this January averaged
slightly over 5 degrees Fahrenheit or about one degree higher than the
record cold January of 1912.
When January ended there was an average snowcover of nearly 20 ?? the
state, ranging upward ?? inches in the southwest to ?? two feet in our
northeast.
Submitted by Becky
Teubner
on February 23, 2004.
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