Ed's Weather Journal

What a storm! We are still digging out of the 15.7 inches of snow in the Des Moines Metro. That 15.7 inch total was the official measurement from the Des Moines International Airport.

Very cold air is going to hold on to the area through the rest of the week. The snow will continue to keep us cold. The sunshine will reflect off the snow and little, if any, heat will be absorbed.

Many have asked how to measure the snowfall in your area. It is difficult with high wind.

The best way is to find an area that is not affect as much by the wind. Then take several measurements in as large of an area as possible. Take those measurements and add them all together then divide by the number of measurements.

Here is a link to a tutorial. www.cocorahs.org/media/docs/Measuring%20Snow-National-Training%201.1.pdf

We did have a record snow of 10 inches for the 24 hour period Tuesday. The old record for that date was 6 inches. The all-time one day record for a 24 period in December is 17 inches. That happened December 26, 1888.

Roads are improving today...but very slick conditions will make travel a bit sketchy. There is a base level of ice from the very warm temperatures when this storm started. Ice melt will not work until we hit highs in the upper teens and lower 20s. It should be sloppy by Saturday.

Stay safe and warm.

Ed