No new record for February snowfall, but Iowa is days away from another wintry blast

The snowstorm that rolled across Iowa overnight Tuesday wasn’t quite the knockout punch for the Des Moines snowfall record it was predicted to be.

Some 2.7 inches of snow fell at the Des Moines airport through about 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

That brings Des Moines' snowfall count to 22.5 inches for the month, just two-tenths of an inch shy of the 2008 record for snowiest February since the weather service began tracking snowfall in 1884.

And Iowans were so looking forward to breaking that record.

But hold out hope, winter weather-record enthusiasts: There’s still eight days left in the month, beginning Thursday. And the weekend forecast includes encore performances of winter favorites, including freezing rain, sleet and, of course, snow.

Thursday and most of Friday are predicted to be seasonably pleasant, with highs in the mid-20s to middle-30s and sunshine both days.

Forecasters say the next round of winter’s beatdown descends upon the Hawkeye State on Friday night. That's when warmer temperatures are expected to bring rain that could turn to freezing rain Saturday morning. Just a smidgen of snow — expected Saturday — and we've got that record.

Yippee.

We thought we'd have the record beat by now, but dry air pockets over Iowa and thunderstorms in Missouri sucked the moisture out of snowfalls predicted to bring as much as 9 inches, said Mindy Beerends, senior meteorologist at the weather bureau in Johnston.

The result: Central Iowa dealt with a manageable 2 to 5 inches, while northwest Iowa took hits as big as 8.5 inches in Estherville.

Napier reported 5.5 inches. Ames and Saylorville recorded 4.5 inches. Madrid saw 3.7 inches. Adel, Boone, Minburn, New Virginia all collected 3.5 inches, and Polk City got 3 inches.

Statewide, the heaviest accumulations were in the northwest and spots in north-central Iowa.

Doon, Hawarden and Rock Rapids endured 8 inches, while Hull and Sioux Center dug out from 7.5 inches. Decorah, Sheldon and Sloan each notched 7 inches. Hospers got 6.8 inches while Rockford and Storm Lake both accumulated 6.5 inches. Eldora collected 6.1 inches.

Meanwhile, 6 inches of snow fell on Bassett, Cleghorn, Lake Mills, New Hampton, North Washington, Ocheyedan, Paton, Peterson, Riceville and Waukon.

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Smaller snow tally still brought trouble

Snow brought the usual headaches: school delays and slippery roads. It was even rough for snowplow drivers.

A Polk County plow was hit by a train near Altoona. The driver was taken to an area hospital with what an Iowa State Trooper described as minor injuries.

UnityPoint’s three-hospital campus in the metro reported 26 injuries from falls, and seven injuries related to crashes.

In the 12 hours that ended Wednesday at 9 a.m., Des Moines police said they investigated 19 crash reports, of which one was a hit-and-run accident. No serious injuries were reported.

During the same period, Des Moines police issued 465 snow-related parking citations.

► More:'Anything can happen at any time': Des Moines police talk tips and crime trends during snowstorms

Des Moines Public Works director Jonathan Gano said that, as of Sunday, the city had spent $2.4 million of its $3.2 million snow budget and was about three-quarters of the way through its stockpile of salt.

Gano said the city has so far exceeded the typical winter snowfall amount by 7 inches, but has done so at three-quarters of the typical cost.

"It's a lot easier to push a lot of snow when it shows up all at once," he said. "It takes just as many people to push 3 inches of snow as it does 8 inches."

Gano said the city should be in good shape for the rest of the winter, "unless we have some real surprises hiding in the month of March."

Jonathan Gano apparently is a man who likes to tempt fate.

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Register storyteller Daniel P. Finney grew up in Winterset and east Des Moines. Suggest stories at 515-284-8144 or dafinney@dmreg.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsmanone and on Facebook at @danielpfinney.