This wasn’t even the biggest weather event of Halloween 1991. The “Perfect Storm” was occurring in New England at this time, but due to that storm there was a blocking pattern going on throughout the United States, thus a storm in the middle of the country could not move east. So it moved north from …
Category: Historical Weather
Belmond Tornado of 1966
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQA0DO3fpcQ&w=420&h=315] Continuing with historical Autumn weather events, this post reflects on the only F5 tornado to occur in Iowa in the fall. The Belmond Tornado of October 14th 1966. It occurred on Homecoming, Belmond was to play Lake Mills that night in football. The homecoming parade had just ended when the sky began to …
A Look Back on October 1997
October 1997 will best be remembered for having 3 seasons in one whole month in Iowa. At the beginning of October, record highs in the mid 90s occurred. Cedar Rapids recorded 94° on October 3rd which broke not only the record for the date but also the warmest temperature for the month of October, Dubuque …
A look toward Winter
Here is a look ahead at Meteorological Winter (December-February). It looks like it won’t be a bad winter like this past one. I will note snow can and will fall before December 1st. There has been snow in Iowa as early as the first of October. Below is a snowfall map from NWS Sioux Falls …
Flood Book Updates
Thought I’d put an update to the books being written about the Iowa Flood this past June. The book “Un-Natural Disasters” which is about the EF5 tornado in Parkersburg and the Floods of 2008 is in post production according to author Terry Swails and his wife Carolyn Wettstone who were interviewed by Ron Steele on …
Another Book about the Iowa Flood of 2008
Earlier this month, I posted a link to a book that is being put together by KWWL-TV in Waterloo on the Flood and EF5 tornado this past year, now The Gazette (Cedar Rapids) and KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids (The Gazette owns KCRG) are putting together a book and DVD as well. The book is titled …
No Peace on Peace Avenue (July 20, 2003)
5 Years ago on Sunday, the day dawned clear but quickly clouds rolled into Cedar Rapids off a thunderstorm complex in southern Minnesota. That complex fizzled as it moved into Iowa leaving hazy skies and a wind from the northwest. As the day progressed the winds went back to the south, temperatures went into the …
Go West! The Churdan Tornado of 1969
On July 16, 1969, attention had been on Apollo 11’s launch toward an eventual landing on the moon, however that afternoon in the small town of Churdan in northern Greene County, there was more attention to the weather than the Apollo Mission. The day was very warm and humid, with temperatures near 90 and dew …