Iowa City area blanketed by nearly a foot-and-a-half of snow, but records were not broken
Much of Johnson County is digging out Wednesday following a record snowstorm that blanketed the area.
How much snow is there?
Iowa City and North Liberty reported 15 inches of snow as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, a continuation of an onslaught that canceled classes at area schools for two consecutive days.
Tiffin reported 13 inches at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday while Coralville clocked in at 12 inches as of 7 p.m. yesterday. Hills, a rural community a few miles south of Iowa City, reported 11 inches as of 9:30 p.m.
While most of Johnson County shut down due to the snow, it did not break records. Actually, the two-day storm doesn't even make the top 10. The biggest two-day total Iowa City has seen was in 2011, the Groundhogs Day Blizzard, where 16 1/2 inches of snow fell in two days, according to the National Weather Service.
Interstate 80 travel still dangerous
Officials were still advising against travel on Interstate 80 to the east and west of Iowa City Wednesday morning, saying the many crashes Tuesday created such an intense snow pack that crews struggled to treat it due to stalled vehicles. The Interstate was nearly impossible to travel on for much of Tuesday; the Iowa State Patrol and Iowa DOT recommended that drivers avoid the highly trafficked road from Des Moines to the Illinois border.
More: DOT, state patrol urge motorists to stay off I-80, highways as snow continues to fall
2024's first snowstorm is a big one
Iowans were bracing for a significant storm as the week began, with officials predicting nearly a foot of snow.
A winter storm warning went into effect at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8 and continued until midnight Wednesday, Jan. 10. The totals exceeded the predictions, with much of the Iowa City area reporting more than 12 inches of snow.
Iowa City was reporting just four inches of snow by 8 a.m. Tuesday with North Liberty tracking five inches. The storm seemingly increased in intensity throughout the day, dumping more than 10 inches in a little more than 12 hours.
More: Johnson County schools announce more cancellations as winter storm drops nearly a foot of snow
Iowa City area school districts cancel Wednesday's classes
Many of the Johnson County schools canceled classes Wednesday, this following Tuesday's cancellations.
Here is a list of cancelations:
The Iowa City Community School District canceled all classes on Wednesday, Jan. 10. All buildings and district offices will be closed and all activities are canceled. The school board meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening was previously postponed until next week, Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Classes in the Clear Creek Amana School District have been canceled for Wednesday, Jan. 10. All buildings and district offices will be closed, and all extracurricular activities have been canceled.
The Solon Community School District has canceled all classes on Wednesday, Jan. 10. All buildings and district offices will be closed and all activities are canceled.
Iowa City Regina has canceled classes and all other activities for Wednesday, Jan. 10. The cancelation means all school buildings will be closed Wednesday.
Lone Tree Community School District also canceled all classes on Wednesday, Jan. 10. All buildings and district offices will be closed and all activities are canceled.
More: Snow will continue to fall throughout Tuesday, impacting travel in Johnson County
Snowstorm impacts public transportation
Iowa City Transit suspended its services "until conditions improve," the city told residents through a text message at 1:45 p.m. Tuesday. Travel on the free transit lines did not resume yesterday as conditions worsened, the city said in a text.
Coralville Transit ended their service early, with the final bus leaving the downtown interchange at 9:10 p.m.
Snow in the Quad Cities
Snow totals across the state vary, with the Des Moines Metro receiving 12.8 inches. Cities like the Quad Cities received assorted totals, with Dubuque receiving 12.6 inches, Moline receiving 9.6 inches, and Davenport receiving 10.8 inches of snowfall during the storm, the highest snow totals each city has had since 2018, according to the National Weather Service Quad Cities. The varying totals in the Quad Cities are due to snow measurements being taken in two locations.
More snow on the way
According to the National Weather Service, more snow is on the way, as officials are predicting an additional one to three inches in eastern Iowa late Wednesday.
Another strong, multi-day winter storm will affect the area Thursday night into Saturday morning, possibly bringing another six inches of snow. Strong winds will result in blowing and drifting snow in Iowa City.
The National Weather Service is giving the Iowa City area a 57% chance of snowfall totals to surpass six inches. However, the areas most likely to see greater than six inches of snow will be along the Mississippi River and east into Illinois.
Temperatures are expected to plummet Saturday night, with lows touching -9 with a Sunday high of two degrees. Monday's forecast, which is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the date of the Iowa Caucuses, will bring a high of -1.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: How much snow did Iowa City really get?
