(SBA) - The Missouri River froze over last week. Can Hell be far behind? Folklore indicates that some momentous event must occur before Hell freezes over, but after the cold of last week, it begs the question, “Are we far from the end of the world?” When I accepted a job at Buena Vista University and came for a visit in January 1990, the weather was quite warm, and I simply was not prepared for what a cold winter in Iowa could be. I bought what I considered to be warm clothing for my children and for me, but truly we almost froze to death that first winter because although our clothing was considered “warm” by Virginia standards, it was not warm enough for Iowa. Because Iowa and Virginia are roughly the same longitude, I simply assumed that the weather would be similar. It was not. Winter in Virginia begins around Thanksgiving and is over completely by Valentine’s Day. Our first winter in Iowa, snow began falling in October and snow was still on the ground in April. My mother came to visit that first January, intent on purchasing a condo in Storm Lake so she could be close to her only child. After a week, my mother announced that she would stay in Virginia, and that she could buy plenty of plane tickets to visit me in Iowa.
Our winter this year has been relatively mild, until the cold spell last week, but the cold of February 2025 is not the worst cold that Iowa has ever experienced. Dale’s mother always spoke of the winter of 1935/36 when she was just a girl on her family farm. That cold wave ranks among the most intense cold waves recorded in the history of North America. February 1936 was the coldest on record in the contiguous United States. That cold was related to a highly negative North Atlantic Oscillation event during that winter driving cold Arctic air into most of North America. The meteorological winter (December through February) of 1935/36 was the coldest on record for Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota. The 1935/36 cold wave began in the plains states in November when temperatures were well below normal in many areas west of the Mississippi River. By the middle of February 1936, all Midwest schools were closed by deep snowdrifts. Many remote towns did not have outside contact for several weeks and the inability to deliver much needed medical supplies led to large outbreaks of flu and other diseases. Above average temperatures in the final week of February led to the melting of heavy winter snowfalls and the subsequent thawing of the ground led to the wettest March on record with floods in most of the region’s rivers and tributary streams.
So, to what do we have to look forward (awkward construction, but I avoided an ending preposition!)? July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded in human history. ( Curious Iowa) Today, the Earth is about 1.3 degrees warmer than it was at the end of the 19th century. When atmospheric temperature rises, it increases the amount of water vapor held in the atmosphere and can lead to a significant meteorological event with heavy rain and snow and especially cold temperatures.
January 12, 1912, was the coldest day recorded in Iowa when the town of Washta reached a minus of 47 degrees. The cold was especially difficult for the railroads which were hit with large losses because trains were running far behind schedule. One loss was of a carload of oranges that couldn’t be saved from freezing despite two heaters in the car, but that effort succeeded only in keeping the temperature from descending lower than 14 degrees below zero. That coldest day in Washta was repeated in Elkader on February 3, 1996. Over in Clinton, the KLNT/KCLN radio station’s main sewer line broke which necessitated the use of the outside toilet but the space was so cold that the toilet paper had to be kept inside the studio. Despite freezing temperatures throughout the state, the presidential hopefuls, intent on election the following November, managed to complete many of their campaign stops as planned! Those men were hardy souls!
February 2025 has been a memorable one. Many of us have rethought daily plans to avoid having to be outside in the cold. I want to end, however, with a cautionary tale. Last Tuesday, I went to the bank, but before I could get inside, I tripped and fell on the sidewalk. I lay there for what seemed an eternity, but was probably no more than five minutes, but hypothermia was beginning to set in before I struggled with my cane to stand up. There are no cameras in that area, so no one inside the bank saw me fall. As I lay there, one red pickup truck came barreling through the parking lot but made no effort to stop. As long as cold is a factor this winter, please be aware that there might be pedestrians in trouble on the streets around you and be prepared to stop to render aid if necessary. This is a time for Good Samaritans and we all need to remember that our neighbors might need some extra help.
