Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-03-23
LONG AND SEVERE
WINTER IN IOWA
Over Five Months Since the First
Snow Fell and Zero Tempera-
ture Became Common.
STATE WEATHER AND CROP REVIEW
Record of "Northers," Snow storms
and Low Temperature--Feb
airy Establishes New Mark
for Cold Weather.

Des Moines, March 22.-The winter
of ls9s-99 will long be remembered,
not only as a cold one, but as very
long one. 1t was just five months Sun
day since the first snow fell, and since
that time the ground has been covered
during nearly the entire period, while
winter temperatures have been record
ed throughout the entire period. The
Iowa weather and crop service bureau
has prepared the following on the WIN
ter that has Just closed:
The advent of winter was about =
week earlier than usual i'm this section,
being ushered in by general storm
and IA severe 'norther. with consider
able snow, on November 81. a marked
type of winter weather prevailed dur
ing the last decade i'm November; and
the average of the minimum regis
tered for the month in the state was
s.? degrees below zero. At the CEN
trail station the mean temperature OF
he last decade of that month was 1914
degrees. Al every station in the state
zero temperature was recorded dur
ing that period, and in the northern
section a minimum OF II degrees be-
low zero. The larger part of the state
was covered with Il mantle of snow
during that decade, and the month as
a whole was unusually severe.
"'The month of December was colder
than usual in this section. At the GEN.
trail station (Des Moines) the daily
mean temperature for the month was
) degrees below the normal, and in the
state the daily deficiency ranged from
4 degrees to 6 degrees. Two cold
waves of great intensity swept over
the state during the month: the first
on the 18th and 18th, and the last on
the 30th and 3lst. In the northern
section the lowest temperature record
ed was 25 degrees below zero, and the
mean of the minimum was 20.2 de.
grecs below zero. In the central sec
ton the minimum registered was 90
degrees below zero. and the mean of
the minimum was 1871 degrees below
zero: in the southern section the low
est registered was 16 degrees below
zero, and the mean of the minimum
was 1916 degrees below. Though cold
er than usual, December was not ex-
cessively stormy.
january as a whole was warmer
than usual, with less than the normal
amount of precipitation. At the close
OF the month the ground was quite
bare of snow. Zero temperatures were
recorded at various points during the
first week and the last week of the
month. There was an average for all
the stations of observation of about
nine days during the month on which
the minimum temperature reached
zero or below. At Dies Moines the high
est temperature recorded was 81 de-
greeS, and the lowest 16 degrees be.
low zero. On the whole it was q fair
and moderate midwinter month. The.
daily mean temperature for the state
was 1913 degrees, which is about 9 de-
.rees above the January normal.
"Ihe prominent feature of the WIN
ter was the cold snap. covering pc
rod of Is days. beginning January
- and ending February IL. This con-
stitnted what is termed the backbone
of winter aud it was Il remarkably
stiff vcrtebral column. The lowest
temperatures of the cold period were
registered in February from the 9TH
To the 18th. AT Des Moines the lowest
was "a degrees below zero on the 18th.
On the same day Sioux City reported
II degrees below, with mean of %
degrees. Omaha reported 2G degrees
ON the nth, with mean of 10 degrees.
The minimum at Keolsuk was 81 de-
9rees. on the 9th, and on the same date
Dubuque registered &c degrees and
Davenport % degrees. The reports
show that it was record breaker for
duration and severity of cold in the
first half of February
The month of February. 1899, will
score a new record for low tempera!
t'lre at nearly all stations i'm Iowa.
The average for the state was from Z
degrees to II degrees below the nor
NAL. AT the close of the month the
soil was frozen to an unusual depth,
the average in the northern section be-
ing over four feet. and in the southern
section about three feet. The precipita-
ton was unusually light, and there
were few severe storms.
"Onthe whole the winter of 10000
will be classed as exceptionally severe,
and quite unlike the 'old-fashioned
winters of the '4Os, sos and COS, when
the pioneers We're able to do consid-
cradle blowing and breaking between
November and March,"
Iowa Men Enlisting.
Des Moines. March 2s2.--Between
thirty and forty men have enlisted at
he local recruiting station since the
18th of March, which is the largest
number enlisted during correspond
ing time in the history of the station.
he recruits come from all over the
state. as this is the only station in
Iowa.
The majority of the men enlisted are
h@t former volunteers. but are men
VIII" have never had any military en-
ptrience before. All of them want to
e" TO the Philippines and one incentive.
for most of them joining the army is
i'm order to see the world and make the
government pay the bill. The fare
from here to Manila is in the neighbor-
hood of $500 and by the time the men
can he transported TO the islands they
have served about three months of
Ileir enlistment which would leave
hat about two years and nine months
f"r them 10 serve in the islands.
EX-Ireasurer Sheehan Guilty.
Usage. March 22.--rhe jury brought
in a verdict against j. b. Sheehan for
making false entries in the treasurer's