Iowa's 7-Day Snowfall Record: Iowa Time Machine December 1941

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On December 27, 1941, one of the most significant snowstorms in Iowa’s history arrived to start dumping a 7-day record of 26.2” of snow on the state’s capital of Des Moines. For over a week straight, snow fell, dropping totals exceeding two feet in locations stretching from Clarinda to Cedar Falls.

The first few days after Christmas saw consistent flurries slowing down post-holiday traffic for Iowans. Newspapers predicted steady declining conditions as a significant storm slowly moved toward the state to close out the year. Several inches of snow accumulated as temperatures plummeted before the storm accelerated heading into New Year’s Eve.

Overnight and into January 1, the snow fell fast and furious, accumulating 19.8 inches, the largest single-day total ever recorded in Des Moines' history. Bone-chilling winds rode into Iowa on the back of the storm, pushing temperatures to as low as -25 in parts of the state. Ames, one of the larger single-day totals recorded, saw over an inch per hour accumulate over 24 hours.

As plows struggled to clear the roads, the storms grounded all air traffic while physicians struggled to reach patients. An enterprising doctor in Creston set out on a bobsled to deliver a baby at a farm six miles out of town. At least three Iowans died in the storm, two from car accidents and one in a railroad switching incident in locations including Des Moines, Iowa City, and Dubuque. #Iowa #OTD #History #Blizzard #Weather