After 8 inches of snow in 3 days, sunny and 31 predicted for Des Moines metro

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to include accurate snowfall totals.

Meteorologists say the windchill factor measures how the cold feels against bare skin, but maybe there should be a measurement for how good a mostly sunny day that reaches 31 degrees feels on the heels of snow and bitter cold that dumped 8 inches of snow on Des Moines in 3 days.

Swirling winds blew snow across roadways, creating slip-and-crash conditions across the state Tuesday, after a snowstorm on Monday dropped nearly 9 inches of snow in parts of Iowa.

The snowfall tapered off by about 9 a.m., but swirling winds made temperatures in the mid-20s feel like 7 degrees below zero by early evening, the National Weather Service reported.

More: Check the latest weather forecast.  

So, while Wednesday is by no means bikini and Bermuda shorts weather, the warm-up to 30 degrees in central Iowa — with a significant reduction in wind — will have an almost sauna-like effect across the Hawkeye State's frozen lands.

Nearly every part of the state saw snowfall.

Between 4 and 6 inches of snow piled up in the Des Moines metro between 8:30 a.m. Monday and about the same time Tuesday morning.

Waukee registered 3.5 inches, the Des Moines airport marker measured 4.9 inches, and unincorporated Runnells registered 5.5 inches.

North of the metro, Ankeny marked 4.5 inches, and Ames saw 3.3 inches.

More:How much snow did Des Moines and the rest of Iowa get Monday and Tuesday?

Snow fell heaviest in northeastern Iowa. Marion registered 8.7 inches, the highest tally in the state. Randalia saw 8.5 inches.

Clutier, Decorah, Independence and Volga notched 8.2 inches. Elkader, Hiawatha, New Hampton, Traer, Waterloo and West Union each hit 8 inches.

The thick of the snow hit metro Des Moines just in time for the evening commute and kept at it through the morning commute, which led to a lot of twisted metal.

Des Moines police responded to 73 crashes between 2 p.m. Monday and 11 a.m. Tuesday, none with serious injuries.

West Des Moines police handled 38 crashes and assisted 19 motorists from noon Monday through noon Tuesday. Polk County Sheriff's deputies fielded 15 crashes, 19 stalled vehicles and 19 vehicles in ditches.

Iowa State Patrol troopers tackled 78 crashes between 1 p.m. Monday through 10:30 a.m. Tuesday across the state.

The crashes and cold sent scores of people to Des Moines hospitals.

The Unity Point trio of hospitals — Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Lutheran Hospital and Methodist West — helped 17 people with slip-and-fall injuries, 10 multi-vehicle accident injuries and one frostbite patient from noon Monday to noon Tuesday.

Broadlawns Medical Center treated two patients for hypothermia and 10 patients for falls or automobile crashes. Mercy Medical Center reported one patient for a fall on ice. 

A dry start to winter has kept the city of Des Moines Public Works Dept. on budget for snow removal, said Jonathan Gano. The city's snow removal budget is about $3.5 million, good for a winter with 33 inches of snow.

With 8 inches of snow in the 3 days through Tuesday, the city is approaching its maximum but is still under budget, Gano said.

School cancellations and delays are flummoxing schools, too. Under Iowa law, all public schools must have a minimum of 1,080 instruction hours, but delays and canceled days can cut into that number and force district officials to find ways to squeeze in more classroom time.

Des Moines schools may consider tweaking its schedule without adding days to the end of the school year, but all talks are preliminary, said Phil Roeder, a district spokesman, in a statement.

Ankeny schools have canceled three days – which is right at the threshold where officials need to consider adding days to the calendar, said spokeswoman Samantha Aukes.

Register staff writers Austin Cannon, Shelby Fleigand Ian Richardson contributed to this story.

Register storyteller Daniel P. Finney grew up in Winterset and east Des Moines. Suggest stories at dafinney@dmreg.com or 515-371-9453. Follow him on Twitter at @newsmanone and Facebook at @danielpfinney