…UPDATE TO VARIOUS SNOW RECORDS AT THE DES MOINES AIRPORT…
…DES MOINES APPROACHING SOME TEMPERATURE RECORDS AS WELL…

GIVEN THE AMPLE SNOWFALL THIS WINTER SEASON…DES MOINES IS CLOSE TO OR HAS BROKEN NUMEROUS RECORDS REGARDING SNOW…SNOWFALL AND SNOW DEPTH.

CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF SNOW DEPTH…THIS IS JUST THE NUMBER OF DAYS THE SNOW DEPTH HAS BEEN AT OR EXCEEDED A GIVEN VALUE FOR CONSECUTIVE DAYS. SNOW DEPTH RECORDS AT DES MOINES GO BACK TO 1921. THE FOLLOWING DATA ARE VALID THROUGH MARCH 1ST UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

SNOW DEPTH CONSECUTIVE DAYS CURRENT TOTAL
1″ OR MORE 99 (2000-01) 85 DAYS
2″ OR MORE 94 (2000-01) 85 DAYS
3″ OR MORE 91 (2000-01) 84 DAYS
4″ OR MORE 84 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 61 DAYS IN 1979)
5″ OR MORE 83 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 54 DAYS IN 1961-62)
6″ OR MORE 54 (1961-62) 36 DAYS
7″ OR MORE 46 (1979) 36 DAYS
8″ OR MORE 43 (1982) 36 DAYS
9″ OR MORE 38 (1936) 36 DAYS
10″ OR MORE 35 (1960) 24 DAYS
11″ OR MORE 29 (1960) 22 DAYS
12″ OR MORE 27 (1960) 22 DAYS
13″ OR MORE 21 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 14 DAYS IN 1936)
14″ OR MORE 14 (2010) NEW RECORD (OLD 12 DAYS IN 1962)

NON CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF SNOW DEPTH…THIS IS THE NUMBER OF DAYS THE SNOW DEPTH HAS BEEN AT OR EXCEEDED A GIVEN VALUE REGARDLESS IF THE SNOW DEPTH OCCURRED ON CONSECUTIVE DAYS OR NOT. IN OTHER WORDS…IT IS JUST THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TIMES THIS SNOW DEPTH HAS BEEN OBSERVED DURING THE SEASON. SNOW DEPTH RECORDS AT DES MOINES GO BACK TO 1921. THE FOLLOWING DATA ARE VALID THROUGH MARCH 1ST UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

SNOW DEPTH NON CONSECUTIVE DAYS CURRENT TOTAL
1″ OR MORE 106 (2000-2001) 85 DAYS
2″ OR MORE 101 (2000-2001) 85 DAYS
3″ OR MORE 94 (2000-2001) 84 DAYS
4″ OR MORE 90 (2000-2001) 84 DAYS
5″ OR MORE 83 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 80 DAYS IN 2000-01)
6″ OR MORE 82 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 79 DAYS IN 1961-62)
7″ OR MORE 81 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 70 DAYS IN 1961-62)
8″ OR MORE 77 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 56 DAYS IN 1961-62)
9″ OR MORE 73 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 49 DAYS IN 1960)
10″ OR MORE 58 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 42 DAYS IN 1960)
11″ OR MORE 43 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 31 DAYS IN 1960)
12″ OR MORE 35 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 29 DAYS IN 1960)
13″ OR MORE 31 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 22 DAYS IN 1961-62)
14″ OR MORE 27 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 17 DAYS IN 1961-62)
15″ OR MORE 19 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 13 DAYS IN 1961-62)
16″ OR MORE 12 (ONGOING) NEW RECORD (OLD 8 DAYS IN 1942)

MOST SNOWFALL IN A WINTER SEASON (JULY-JUNE). THE CURRENT TOTAL IS VALID THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH.

1. 72.0 INCHES IN 1911-12
2. 70.9 INCHES IN 1885-86
3. 64.1 INCHES IN 1961-62
4. 62.9 INCHES IN 1981-82
5. 62.3 INCHES IN 2009-10
6. 59.7 INCHES IN 1974-75
7. 58.5 INCHES IN 2007-08
8. 58.4 INCHES IN 2003-04
9. 58.2 INCHES IN 1959-60
10. 57.8 INCHES IN 1904-05

MOST SNOWFALL SEASON TO DATE. IN OTHER WORDS…THE MOST SNOWFALL SINCE JULY OF THE PRIOR YEAR THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH IN ANY GIVEN SEASON.

1. 62.3 INCHES IN 2009-10
2. 54.6 INCHES IN 1885-86
3. 53.0 INCHES IN 1904-05
3. 52.6 INCHES IN 2007-08
5. 52.1 INCHES IN 1961-62

AVERAGE SNOW DEPTH FOR THE ENTIRE SNOW SEASON TO THIS POINT (OCTOBER 1ST THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH). THE SNOW YEAR ACTUALLY BEGINS JULY 1ST BUT NO APPRECIABLE SNOW DEPTH HAS BEEN RECORDED PRIOR TO OCTOBER. SNOW DEPTH RECORDS AT DES MOINES GO BACK TO 1921.

1. 6.3 INCHES IN 2009-10
2. 4.6 INCHES IN 2000-01
3. 4.3 INCHES IN 1978-79
4.3 INCHES IN 1961-62
5. 3.8 INCHES IN 1935-36

TOTAL NUMBER OF DAYS IN THE WINTER SEASON ON WHICH AT LEAST AN INCH OF NEW SNOW HAS FALLEN. THE CURRENT TOTAL IS VALID THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH.

1. 21 DAYS IN 1981-82
21 DAYS IN 1885-86
3. 20 DAYS IN 2009-10
20 DAYS IN 1974-75
5. 19 DAYS IN 1959-60
19 DAYS IN 1886-87

IN ADDITION TO THE MULTIPLE SNOWFALL AND SNOW DEPTH RECORDS BEING APPROACHED OR BROKEN AT DES MOINES THIS WINTER…A FEW TEMPERATURE RECORDS ARE ALSO IN JEOPARDY. WHILE THE WINTER HAS NOT SEEN MUCH EXTREME COLD IT HAS BEEN NOTED FOR ITS LACK OF A SIGNIFICANT HEAT SPELL OR THAW. FOLLOWING ARE THE RECORDS FOR CONSECUTIVE DAYS ON
WHICH THE TEMPERATURE HAS NOT REACHED 45 DEGREES OR HIGHER. THE CURRENT TOTAL IS VALID THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH.

1. 96 DAYS IN 2000-01
2. 93 DAYS IN 1968-69
3. 90 DAYS IN 1977-78
4. 89 DAYS IN 2009-10
5. 87 DAYS IN 1882-83