February 9, 2012

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Heavy snow causing travel problems

January 20, 2012 By

Snowplows are struggling to keep up with the heavy snow falling in parts of northern Iowa. Twenty-three counties across the state’s northern half are under a Winter Storm Warning. Meteorologist Jim Lee, at the National Weather Service, says this may be the deepest snowfall of the season, so far:

“We’re forecasting totals of four to seven inches across northern, northeastern and eastern Iowa with lower amounts further south,” Lee says. Several northern Iowa school districts cancelled classes today due to the looming storm. The snow should last much of the day and

Lee says by the time it stops, it’ll be bitter cold.

Temperatures will fall overnight with clearing skies as the snow cover helps to make things even colder, with regular air temps dipping perhaps as low as 15-below zero. While Saturday should be mostly clear and cold, Lee says there’s a chance for still-more snow during the second half of the weekend.

It may be warm enough for some rain during the day on Sunday, rain that may change over to snow on Sunday night. For Iowans who are traveling today, road conditions are becoming hazarous in many areas. Check first by calling the state D.O.T.’s information line at 5-1-1.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: News, Weather Tagged With:

Artic air mass to bring bitter cold to the state

January 19, 2012 By

Just eight days ago, some Iowans enjoyed record high temperatures in the low 60s. Today, it’s a much different story. Meteorologist Jim Lee, at the National Weather Service office in Johnston, says an arctic air mass is bringing bitter cold into the Hawkeye State and portions of northern Iowa are under a Wind Chill Advisory.

“We have fairly modest-to-brisk northwest breezes and very cold temperatures combining for wind chills of 20 to 30-below across northern Iowa,” Lee says. More snow is on the way, too. Lee says several Winter Storm Warnings, Watches and Advisories will be going into effect soon for much of Iowa’s northern half.

“We’re expecting to see snow spreading in from northwestern Iowa after midnight tonight, continuing through Friday,” Lee says. “Accumulations across parts of northern Iowa will be close to five to seven inches, down around the Missouri border, virtually none, so there’ll be a pretty sharp gradient somewhere across central Iowa.” More super-cold air will be arriving in Iowa this weekend with another chance of snow by Sunday.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

Filed Under: News, Weather

Winds and blowing snow continue to be a problem

January 17, 2012 By

Roads across Iowa have improved quite a bit from this morning, but motorists should still be prepared for some dangerous conditions. Iowa Department of Transportation spokesperson Dena Gray-Fisher says drivers need to be alert for high winds with speeds of up to 25 miles an hour.

“Especially if you’re a semi truck driver pulling an unloaded trailer,” Gray-Fisher said. “Maybe you need to just pull off (the road) for a while and wait for the winds to subside. We had several semi tractor trailers jackknifing this morning and one actually flipped from the high winds.”

Most of the semi crashes happened on Interstate 80 between Des Moines and Iowa City. Snow totals across the state are being reported in the 1 to 3 inch range. “There hasn’t been a lot of snow, but the wind does present some problems. People are getting blown over outside of their traffic lane,” Gray-Fisher said.

In addition, some roads are slick from “wheel track glazing” as the wind blows snow across the road and it becomes icy from heavy traffic.

Motorists can check Iowa road conditions online at www.511ia.org or by calling 5-1-1. Clear, but blustery and cold conditions are expected overnight with lows near zero in the northeast to lower teens in southern Iowa. It should be sunny, but continued windy Wednesday with highs in the mid 20s and 30s.

Filed Under: News, Weather Tagged With:

Henderson man dies in accident

January 12, 2012 By

Slick roads may have played a role in a southwest Iowa crash Wednesday evening that killed one person and sent three others to the hospital. The Iowa State Patrol is investigating the Mills County crash which claimed the life of 62-year-old Randall Jones, of Henderson.

The accident happened on Highway 34, about two-miles east of Malvern, at around 5 p.m. Jones was driving a 2003 Buick LeSabre east on Highway 34, when his car collided near the centerline of the road with a westbound 1997 Ford pickup, driven by 40-year-old Agustin Argueta, of Omaha.

Argueta, and two passengers in his truck, 21-year old Hector Gimenez, and 28-year old Rubin Antonio Soza Alvarez, both of whom are from Omaha, were transported to Creighton University Medical Center. Arguetta and Gimenz was taken to the hospital by Malvern Rescue, while Alvarez was transported by Glenwood Rescue.

Gimenez was the only one of the accident victims who was not wearing a seatbelt.

By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News, Weather

Brine provides protection against frost

January 11, 2012 By

Snowflakes may be flying on parts of Iowa today  and Iowa Department of Transportation trucks are already out coating roadways with salt brine. D.O.T. spokesman Pete Hjelmstad says they’ve been spraying the liquid brine routinely to keep frost from forming and hopefully, to keep the roads safer.

Hjelmstad says frost around bridges and other problem areas can make for very slippery conditions. He says it’s a little bit unusual to be spraying brine in January but because of the weather conditions, it’s what is appropriate. Hjelmstad says frost can be an issue on any stretch of road when temperatures dip, and for some areas in particular.

He says it’s usually places like bridge decks or shaded areas, but north-central Iowa saw a major frost event recently where all the roads were very slick. Hjelmstad says the D.O.T. trucks may be out more often now, depending on the weather conditions.

He says the brine treatment on roads can last for 24 hours or longer depending on the conditions, shorter if there’s rain or frost. He says it’s still a cost-effective way to keep the roads safe.

Hjelmstad says the brine also reduces the amount of sand that is needed, saving tax dollars and natural resources and keeping the sand out of storm sewers.

By Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City

Filed Under: News, Weather Tagged With: ,

Review panel says Corps not primary cause of Missouri River flooding

January 10, 2012 By

An independent panel that includes scientists from three federal agencies has determined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was not primarily to blame for damage caused by historic Missouri River flooding last year. Critics have said the Corps should have released more water from the reservoirs earlier in the season to make room in anticipation of the flooding.

Colorado State University civil engineering professor, Neil Grigg, was on the review panel and says it’s not that simple. “To release water earlier, this means you’ve gotta have like perfect foresight what’s gonna happen down the road, in particular that heavy rain in Montana that occurred in early May,” Grigg explains.

“It’s easy to say you should have know that, you should have released that water sooner. But the truth is, nobody could have known that. It was a completely unanticipated weather event.” Grigg says snowmelt runoff from the mountains and the plains combined with the heavy rains to produce the record flood.

He says no one accurately predicted the amount of rain and melting snow that filled the Missouri River and its reservoirs. “Could that happen again, is climate change going to occur, what’s going on? Well there are plenty of people with opinions about those things, but when you look at the science of it, nobody knows for sure,” Grigg says.

The group recommends a variety of possible actions. Grigg says the Corps should examine the master manual, which lays out in detail how the river is to be managed, and consider whether changes are needed. He says the Corps may need to look at adding storage space for future flooding.

But he says the tradeoff would be less water for things like navigation and recreation.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News, Weather

Warm weather setting records

January 10, 2012 By

Iowa’s extended string of mild winter weather will end later this week, but not before another day of above normal temperatures. National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Lee says many areas of the state have experienced one of their warmest winters-to-date on record.

“It looks like Des Moines, Waterloo, Mason City and Ottumwa…have had their fifth or sixth warmest seasons on record,” Lee said. “And most of those stations have records dating back to the late 1800′s.”

Lee compiled a list of statistics for the period between December 1 and January 8. The average temperature in Des Moines through that period was 33.2 degrees. Ottumwa’s average temp was 33, Mason City 26.6 and Waterloo 29.5.

“At Waterloo, the lowest temperature this winter has only been four-degrees,” Lee said. “This is the first time in 98 years that we’ve gotten this deep into winter without getting below four-degrees at Waterloo.”

Prior to this winter, Iowans endured four consecutive winters with snowier-than-normal and colder-than-normal conditions. Very little snow has fallen in Iowa since December 1 and there’s been no precipitation across most of the state since New Year’s day.

“In fact, in Des Moines, this is only the fifth year since records began in the 1870s that we’ve gone through the first week of January with zero precipitation,” Lee said. Temperatures are expected to plummet through the day on Wednesday. Wind chill readings by Wednesday night could hit 10-below-zero in northern Iowa.

Highs on Thursday across the state are forecast in the mid teens and 20s.

Filed Under: News, Weather
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