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Record-snowy start to the season for some

Cedar Rapids had its second-snowiest October on record and this month is just shy of a top-20 ranking already! So far this season, 11.2 inches has fallen in Cedar Rapids. That’s the most to happen through November 12, topping the 11.0 inches in 1925. Dubuque has gotten an astounding 13.9 inches, easily passing the old record of 9.2 inches in 1925. Iowa City got 7.0 inches through November 12. That’s an inch short of the record of 8.0 inches, also set in 1925. Finally, Waterloo has picked up 7.4 inches, putting it in second place behind 1921 with 9.0 inches. Snow through Wednesday evening will generally be light and will just pad the seasonal numbers a little bit more. If you’re tired of snow, it looks like we’ll avoid it for several upcoming days and actually melt what we have on the ground.

Snowfall reports for November 10-11, 2019

Yet another accumulating snow fell across eastern Iowa Sunday night into Monday morning. This one will be staying on the ground for longer than the other snowfalls we've had so far. When a location has a number and direction, that indicates how many miles from the city center the report was. For example, "3 WSW Marion" was reported three miles west-southwest of the center of Marion. These are the reports since 3 a.m. and this list will be updated as new reports come in. If a location isn't listed, it's because a report wasn't received from there. 3 NNE Cedar Rapids (Linn): 5.8” 3 WSW Marion (Linn): 5.7” 1 W Asbury (Dubuque): 5.0" Lowden (Cedar): 5.0” Stanwood (Cedar): 5.0" 1 SSW Vinton (Benton): 4.8” 3 ESE Hiawatha (Linn): 4.6” 1 E North Liberty (Johnson): 4.5" 3 NE Cedar Rapids (LInn): 4.5" Bertram (Linn): 4.3" Anamosa (Jones): 4.3" Keystone (Benton): 4.3" Morse (Johnson): 4.3" 1 ENE Mount Vernon (Linn): 4.0" 1 N Independence (Buchanan): 4.0" 3 SSE Atkins (Benton): 4.0" Dubuque Regional Airport (Dubuque): 4.0” Rickardsville (Dubuque): 4.0" Cassville (Grant, Wis.): 4.0" Belle Plaine (Benton): 4.0” Clutier (Tama): 4.0” 1 W Maquoketa Airport (Jackson): 3.9" 1 NNW Marshalltown (Marshall): 3.8” 3 SW Center Junction (Jones): 3.8" 1 W Cou Falls (Johnson): 3.7" Coggon (Linn): 3.6" 3 NNE Cedar Rapids (Linn): 3.5” Edgewood (Clayton): 3.5" 1 W Elmira (Johnson): 3.5" 2 SSE Waterloo (Black Hawk): 3.5” 2 WSW Cedar Rapids (Linn): 3.4" 1 SSE Waterloo (Black Hawk): 3.4” 1 SW University Heights (Johnson): 3.3" 4 W Stanley (Buchanan): 3.3" 3 ESE Hiawatha (Linn): 3.3” 1 SSE Manchester (Delaware): 3.2" 1 N Center Grove (Dubuque): 3.2" Hiawatha (Linn): 3.0” 3 NNW Marshalltown (Marshall): 3.0” Williamsburg (Iowa): 3.0" 2 NNW Mount Auburn (Benton): 3.0" Amana (Iowa): 3.0" 3 N Toledo (Tama): 3.0” 4 WSW Lancaster (Grant, Wis.): 2.8" 2 N Marshalltown (Marshall): 2.8” 1 ENE Eldora (Hardin): 2.8" Parnell (Iowa): 2.7” 2 SE Galena Territory (Jo Daviess, Ill.): 2.6” 1 NW Sigourney (Keokuk): 2.6" University Heights (Johnson): 2.5" Solon (Johnson): 2.5" 1 NNW Monticello Airport (Jones): 2.5" 5 SW Lamont (Buchanan): 2.5" 1 NE Tiffin (Johnson): 2.5" Marion (Linn): 2.5” Eldora (Hardin): 2.5” 4 NE Washington (Washington): 2.5" 1 E Grundy Center (Grundy): 2.5" 1 NE Waterloo (Black Hawk): 2.5” Ely (Linn): 2.4" 1 SSW Osborne (Clayton): 2.4" 1 NE Waterloo (Black Hawk): 2.3” 4 NNE Lafayette (Linn): 2.1" 1 NNW Guttenberg (Clayton): 2.0” 3 W Richmond (Washington): 2.0" 1 W Platteville (Grant, Wis.): 2.0” 1 W Montezuma (Poweshiek): 2.0” 1 WNW Montezuma (Poweshiek): 2.0” 2 NNW Williamstown (Johnson): 2.0" 4 N Haskins (Washington): 2.0" 1 ENE Vinton (Benton): 2.0" Cedar Falls (Black Hawk): 1.8" North English (Iowa): 1.5" 1 ENE Oskaloosa (Mahaska): 1.2” Sigourney (Keokuk): 1.2" 2 N Muscatine (Muscatine): 1.2" 1 E Iowa Falls (Hardin): 1.0” 1 WSW Hampton (Franklin): 1.0” 1 NW Fayette (Fayette): 1.0" Guttenberg (Clayton): 1.0" 2 WSW Nashua (Floyd): 1.0" New Hampton (Chickasaw): 1.0” 1 N Tripoli (Bremer): 0.9” 1 NNE Prairie du Chien (Crawford, Wis.): 0.8" 1 SSE Charles City (Floyd): 0.5” 6 NE Postville (Allamakee): 0.3” 1 WNW Mount Zion (Crawford, Wis.): 0.2” Muscoda (Grant, Wis.): 0.1"

What is our weather normally at this time of year?

We’ve had a lot of cold spells across the state of Iowa so far this fall. We also spent most of the month of October below average, temperature-wise. So, what should we be seeing this time of year? On average, in Cedar Rapids we should be seeing highs in the mid-50s, with overnight lows near the freezing point, or 32 degrees. So, if you think of Saturday’s weather, that’s probably what we should be seeing. As we look ahead, though, we aren’t just tracking below normal temperatures, but well below normal. Highs for the beginning of the week will only be reaching the low 20s, which is below our normal low for this time of year. Lows will be in the single digits Monday night, and barely in the double digits Tuesday night.

Record cold likely: A check of Veterans Day records

An Arctic surge will head south into eastern Iowa and is still on track to hit us on Monday. The worst of the cold will be Monday and Tuesday with some moderation by Wednesday. Veterans Day will also likely be record cold, depending on what the temperature is at midnight. The following are the five coldest Veterans Days high temperatures on record for Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Iowa City and Waterloo. Note that these records are for years since 1919, when Armistice Day was first observed. Cedar Rapids #1: 23 in 1986 #2: 27 in 1932 #3: 28 in 1995 #4: 28 in 1976 #5: 31 in 1996 Dubuque #1: 22 in 1986 #2: 27 in 1995 #3: 28 in 1932 #4: 29 in 1996 #5: 31 in 1976 Iowa City #1: 29 in 1932 #2: 30 in 1996 #3: 33 in 1995 #4: 33 in 1947 #5: 34 in 1976 Waterloo #1: 23 in 1986 #2: 26 in 1995 #3: 27 in 1976 #4: 27 in 1932 #5: 30 in 1996

Beyond the Weather: Transit of Mercury

The cold weather in the First Alert Forecast should not stop you from viewing a rare astronomical event on Monday, as long as the clouds cooperate. On Monday, November 11, you could witness the transit of Mercury. What is a transit? Simply put, it is when one object in space moves in front of another object in space. In Monday’s case, we will see Mercury transit the Sun. First, a word of caution. In order to view this transit, you will need to view this event through a telescope with solar filters or use eclipse-rated eye protection. NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN! You can also search for a public viewing or a website that might stream the event. The transit begins at 6:36 a.m. and ends at 12:04 p.m. The last transit of Mercury happened in 2016 and the next not until 2032! Happy stargazing!