116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Mild Iowa winter comes to screeching halt; winter storm warning issued
UPDATE: At least two people have died in traffic accidents in Iowa as a winter storm ends a stretch of spring-like temperatures.
The storm entered western Iowa on Wednesday and pushed into eastern Iowa on Thursday, where up to 6 inches of snow could fall before the storm moves out of the state Thursday night.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning, effective until 7:30 p.m., for Linn, Jones, Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson and Scott counties. In addition, a snow emergency has been issued for the city of Cedar Rapids, effective until 11 p.m., prohibiting parking on marked snow routes. City officials have also asked that cars be moved from residential streets, where possible, to allow plows to clear snow from those streets.
Statewide, the Iowa State Patrol says 62-year-old Randall Jones, of Henderson, died in a head-on crash near Malvern in Mills County late Wednesday afternoon. Another person died in an accident near Muscatine Thursday morning. Both wrecks are believed to be related to the weather.
Dubuque was one of the several Iowa cities that posted a record high on Wednesday with 52 degrees. The temperature Thursday morning was 14 degrees with a wind chill of 3 below zero.
Car accidents in Cedar Rapids
The Cedar Rapids Police Department reported 45 crashes from midnight Wednesday to 2 p.m. Thursday. Here is how the numbers break down:
Midnight to 7 a.m.: 2 crashes
7-8 a.m.: 6
8-9 a.m.: 8
9-10 a.m. 9
10-11 a.m.: 2
11 a.m. to noon: 8
Noon to 1 p.m.: 7
1-2 p.m.: 3
[nggallery id=766]
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Jon Smith, of Center Point, busts out his snowblower for the first time this year during the first measurable snowfall in the area, on Thursday, January 12, 2012. This band of snowfall dumped as much as five inches on the Corridor. (Nikole Hanna/SourceMedia Group News)
Daily Newsletters