Winter in Iowa can be fun
Comments (...)Don’t act so surprised — it’s winter and this is Iowa.
We were bound to get some snow before this winter was over. We’ve really been spoiled this year with above-average temperatures and below-average snowfall. Although, under the circumstances, the 8-inch snowfall Saturday was a bit over the top.
There are a lot of innovative people out there taking full advantage of the recent snow.
I really love the idea of the Steamroller couch sled. After our Reporter Scott Vicker took photos and wrote a short story about the contraption, he couldn’t resist taking a spin.
Assistant Managing Editor Kyle Wilson then couldn’t resist the opportunity to take advantage of that situation. He video taped Scott’s ride and posted it on our website — www.crestonnews.com.
Unfortunately, Kyle was sitting in the back of the pickup that was pulling the couch sled and the video is pretty blurry. In fact, if it wasn’t for the screams and laughter coming from the couch as it slid around a curve with the snow blowing back on the riders, it probably wouldn’t be worth watching.
Not to be outdone, Scott then videotaped the ride from the rider’s perspective. That video is also posted on our website. Again, the sound is as much fun to hear as the video is to watch.
We have published photos of an igloo and giant snowman since the snowstorm, and today we have a photo of a snowman standing on its head.
The forecast for the rest of the week is pretty chilly, so the snow should stay with us for awhile. If you see any more innovations in the snow, let us know — it might be worth a picture.
The average snowfall for Creston is 25.9 inches per year. Obviously, we have a long way to go.
From Nov. 1 to Feb. 3 we had about 5 inches of precipitation. Much of that in November was in the form of rain. So, basically, what that tells us is we are going to get about 20 inches of snow in the next couple of months.
Well, let’s hope not.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac the February forecast calls for an average temperature of 27 degrees — that’s 2 degrees below the usual average. The forecast for the rest of this week looks pretty cold with single-digit low temperatures Saturday and Sunday mornings. The high on Saturday is in the teens.
That really sounds cold to me, but it is February and we are in Iowa.
Precipitation for February is forecast at a-half inch — 1 inch below average. We’ve already beat that with that 8-inch snowfall we had Saturday. Maybe we won’t get any more measurable snow this month.
March is looking up for us with an average temperature of 49 degrees, which is 6 degrees above average. The snow forecast is another half inch, which is 2 inches below average.
But, at the same time, The Almanac did say the snowiest periods will be in mid-December, late February, and early March. So I’m guessing that means we are in for some more snow.
The summer forecast is for drier and cooler than normal, on average, despite hot spells in early and late July. If expected rains do not come in June, drought will be an issue.
We seem to go from one weather disaster to another here in Iowa.
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