Cedar Rapids has third snowiest December on record

Eastern Iowa missed a snowy record this month by just a few degrees.

State climatologist Harry Hillaker said the Cedar Rapids area got 1.41 inches of rain on Christmas Eve; under colder conditions, that amount of rain would have meant 16 to 20 inches of snow and would have surpassed the 26.5-inch record set in December 2000.

“That would have been a storm for the ages, so to speak,” Hillaker said.

Instead, Cedar Rapids has so far recorded 16.8 inches of snowfall, making it the third snowiest December on record, behind the 26.5 inches in 2000 and 18.8 inches in 2005.

Iowa City has seen 14.1 inches of snow this month, the fourth snowiest on record. The city saw 27.6 inches in 2000, 20.2 inches in 2007 and 17.1 inches in 2005.

Both months are well above average, Hillaker said; Cedar Rapids' average snowfall is 7.8 inches in December, and in Iowa City it's 6.9 inches.

Other parts of the state have set snowfall records: Des Moines has recorded a high of 27.2 inches, Hillaker said, and in just one three-day storm last week Spencer in northwest Iowa received a little more than 24 inches of fresh snow.

Eastern Iowa will add to its snow totals this week, said KCRG-TV9 meteorologist Justin Gehrts, but not likely enough to threaten the records. The area could see an additional 1 to 3 inches of snow on Wednesday.

It's a suitable ending to a year of wacky weather: Jan. 16 was the coldest day on record with a temperature of minus 29; July was the coldest on record; August was the wettest on record; October was the third coolest on record; and November was the fourth warmest.