Will the Cedar Valley be Getting the ‘First Snow’ on Friday?

What are the chances of the Cedar Valley getting our First Snow on Friday? 62% according to the National Weather Service in Des Moines

According to the National Weather Service in Des Moines:

Winter is Returning late tonight and Friday...A combination of 1 to 2 inches of snow and strong winds may result in poor travel in Northern Iowa late tonight and Friday morning. Gusty to strong winds and snow showers are expected elsewhere for much of the day.

 

As of Thursday morning, 15 counties in Iowa are in a 'Winter Weather Advisory.' Winds in the Advised Counties should expect wind gusts up 45 MPH.

Yikes. But more specifically, what are the chances of ‘more than just a dusting’ of s-s-s-s-snow in Waterloo? As of Thursday morning, the NWS in Des Moines states there is just a 2% chance of getting an inch or more. So, I think you can put away that shovel…for now.

FYI: The record amount of snow in Waterloo on November 12 is 3" set in 1959.

Last year first few flurries to flutter down from the sky in Waterloo happened on October 18, 2020. The most recent time that the city didn’t receive its first ‘Trace’ of snow until November was 11/29/2016. Who remembers November 19, 2015? Waterloo was nailed with 10.5” of snow that day.

This is hard to believe, but in the winter of 1944, the city of Waterloo didn’t receive its first inch of snow from a single winter weather event until February 10. (According to data from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet)

That is the only time in the history of Waterloo (dating back to the 1890s) that the first inch of snow didn’t fall until February.

Seven times Black Hawk County residents had to wait until January for that first inch of snow, most recently in 2005. 37 times the first inch occurred in December, most recently in 2016 and 2017.

So, in roughly 1/3 of all winters in Waterloo since the 1890s, the first inch of snow didn’t fall until December.