1927: A period of dry and unseasonably warm weather brought very pleasant fall weather to most of Iowa from about October 20-28. In general temperatures peaked in western Iowa on the 22nd and 24th and in central and eastern Iowa on the 25th-27th. On the 22nd Little Sioux reported a high of 91 F, one […]
1908: Snow mixed with rain at times across about the western half of Iowa from the night of October 22nd through most of the day on the 23rd. At most locations the snow melted as it fell and failed to accumulate, however a few areas did receive measurable snowfall with the highest totals recorded in […]
1998: Rain fell across parts of Iowa on October 14-17 with the heaviest rain recorded in southeastern Iowa on the 17th when Burlington measured 4.39 inches in 24 hours. Burlington would finish the month with a total of 8.62 inches and in terms of statewide average rainfall this was the wettest October in Iowa since […]
1950: A line of thunderstorms produced an interesting temperature effect across portions of central and southern Iowa. As the storms approached Des Moines shortly before noon the temperature shot up 14 degrees in just 5 minutes, reaching 87 F and setting a daily high temperature record. As the storms passed the temperature then receded back […]
2009: An unusually cold autumn storm system brought snow to parts of western, northern, and central Iowa. A band of moderate snow developed during the morning hours stretching from around the Omaha metro area eastward to the Des Moines metro, roughly parallel to and just south of Interstate 80. Within this band several locations received […]
1970: An early season snow storm struck far western and northwestern Iowa on October 8-9, with Sioux City reporting 5.1 inches which is their earliest ever accumulation of one inch or more of snow and their third-highest October snowfall on record. Other snowfall amounts across the area included 3.0 inches at Shenandoah, 4.0 inches at […]
1938: Unseasonably hot weather brought the temperature all the way up to 97 F at Onawa tying the all-time Iowa October record. Other reported high temperatures included 96 F at Little Sioux and Sioux City, 93 F at Alton and Shenandoah, 91 F at Cherokee, Pocahontas, Rock Rapids, and Spencer, and 90 F at Carroll […]
2003: Unseasonably cold weather spread across Iowa with most of the state recording a hard freeze during the morning hours. The temperature at Mason City plummeted all the way to 16 F which was the lowest temperature recorded in Iowa so early in the fall in 29 years. Other reported low temperatures included 17 F […]
1959: Much of eastern, southeastern, and southern Iowa was swept by strong wind storms as a squall line preceded a cold front. The storms did considerable damage to crops and property and injured three people. At Cedar Rapids 17 aircraft were destroyed at the airport and at Waterloo winds gusted to around 90 mph. The […]
1942: A powerful storm system brought a remarkable early snowfall to most of Iowa. Although the snow melted as it fell across most of the state many stations reported their earliest trace of snowfall on record, and in north central Iowa slightly cooler temperatures near the surface allowed the snow to accumulate to as much […]
