Severe thunderstorm and heavy rainfall are possible in the Midwest into the Central Appalachians and the Desert Southwest early this week. Storms are also expected in parts of the northern Plains today. Fire weather and air quality concerns will persist across portions of the West. Mid-summer heat will continue across much of the CONUS this week, especially in the the south-central High Plains. Read More >
The winter of 1978-1979 will long be remembered for not only heavy snow, but bitterly cold temperatures. A winter season record of 52.9 inches of snow fell over the area and the average temperature during the winter was a record low of 14.1F.
January 1979 was a record breaking month in terms of both snowfall and arctic cold temperatures. From January 12th to the 14th, a winter storm dumped an estimated 18.4 inches of snow. This was a record amount for a single snowstorm. A record 26.7 inches fell during the month of January, while the snow depth was a record 28 inches from January 14 through the 19th.
Besides being a month for record snow, January was also the coldest month ever in the Quad Cities. The average temperature for the month was only 6.3°F. The second coldest reading ever occurred on January 2nd, when the temperature dropped to 27°F below zero.
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| Figure 1: Total January 1979 precipitation (inches) at Cedar Rapids Airport |
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| Figure 1: Total January 1979 precipitation (inches) at Dubuque Regional Airport |
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| Figure 3: Total January 1979 precipitation (inches) at Moline Quad City Internaltional Airport |
|
Day |
Maximum Temperature (°F) |
Minimum Temperature (°F) |
Snow (inches) |
|
1 |
14 |
- 10 |
1.0 |
|
2 |
- 5 |
- 27 |
0.0 |
|
3 |
3 |
- 14 |
0.0 |
|
4 |
3 |
- 12 |
Trace |
|
5 |
2 |
- 19 |
0.2 |
|
6 |
10 |
- 19 |
0.0 |
|
7 |
10 |
- 7 |
0.0 |
|
8 |
4 |
- 17 |
0.0 |
|
9 |
13 |
- 6 |
0.0 |
|
10 |
5 |
- 18 |
0.0 |
|
11 |
8 |
- 17 |
1.3 |
|
12 |
18 |
7 |
2.3 |
|
13 |
20 |
11 |
14.8 |
|
14 |
11 |
- 21 |
Trace |
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