On This Date In Iowa Weather History – 1991 Halloween Storm

1991: A major winter storm pounded the upper Midwest from October 30^th into November 2^nd with some of the most severe effects occurring on Halloween. Snow moved into southern Iowa on the afternoon of the 30^th and changed to mixed precipitation and ice on the morning of the 31^st and continuing into late afternoon on November 1^st. Total ice accumulations ranged from 1 to 2 inches from southwest into north central Iowa and 2 to 3 inches across southern and southeast Minnesota. In northwest Iowa, the precipitation fell as all snow. Total snow accumulations of 8 inches or more blanketed the area with 15.0 inches falling at Estherville. Stong winds produced blizzard conditions into November 2^nd. The damage and hazardous travel conditions were so severe and extensive that 52 of the 99 counties in Iowa were declared disaster areas. Highways and interstates were closed across most of the state and Halloween festivities were cancelled at many locations. As the storm system moved further northeast it dumped 36.9 inches of snow at Duluth which, at the time, was the largest storm total snowfall accumulation on record in Minnesota until it was surpassed in 1994. 

Extreme cold followed the crippling Halloween Storm from November 4-8, 1991.  With the fresh snow pack in place, on November 4^th nearly every reporting station in the state fell into the single digits and remarkably some western stations reported their earliest subzero temperatures on record, including Sioux City where the low was -3°F. Des Moines and Waterloo both established daily records with a low of 4°F. The lowest temperatures reported on the morning of the 4^th included -7°F at Sioux Rapids, -9°F at Hawarden, -10°F at Sheldon, and -11°F at Cherokee. Amazingly, even colder weather would settle across Iowa a few days later with nearly the entire state falling below zero on the mornings of November 7^th and 8^th.  On the 7^th many stations set daily record lows and at numerous locations this is the earliest date on record on which the temperature has fallen below zero, including at Des Moines where the low was -3°F. The lowest reported temperatures in Iowa that morning included -12°F at Audubon, -13°F at Perry, -14°F at Le Mars, -15°F at Sheldon, -16°F at Guthrie Center, -17°F at Cherokee, and -19°F at Hawarden.  On the morning of the 8^th reported low temperatures included -2°F at Burlington, -8°F at Bedford and Grinnell, -11°F at Sac City, -12°F at Atlantic and Le Mars, -13°F at Cherokee and Perry, and -14°F at Guthrie Center.

 

Other Stories or Resources on the 1991 Halloween Winter Storm/Blizzard 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Halloween_blizzard

http://www.startribune.com/25-photos-that-perfectly-capture-the-halloween-blizzard-of-1991/338843092/#1

http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/halloween_blizzard.htm

http://www.weather.gov/dlh/1991halloweenblizzard (NWS WFO Duluth)

http://www.weather.gov/arx/halloween1991 (NWS WFO La Crosse)

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/month-climate-history-halloween-blizzard-1991