Iowa has already seen snow in 2025, with a snow squall warning taking over the state on just the second day of the year.
In fact, according to the Farmers’ Almanac winter forecast, the coldest periods of winter in Iowa are expected in January. Frigid temperatures from late January to early February will lead to “intense bursts of snow” across the Midwest, per the forecast.
However, it’s unlikely that snow storms this year will match some of the state’s snowfall records. As the winter weather continues, here are some of the snowiest places, seasons and days in Iowa history.
What is the snowiest place in Iowa?
Sue Waltz plays in the snow with her dog, Bear, while clearing snow in front of her house in Stuart on Dec. 8, 2009. “He loves the snow,” she said. “Me, not so much.” Many Iowa cities set snowfall records that year and it was the second snowiest winter on record in the state with 104.5 inches.
Allerton, a town in Wayne County Iowa, holds the statewide record for most snowfall in a single winter, according to State Climatologist, Justin Glisan.
From December 2009 to February 2010, 100 inches of snow, or just over 8 feet, fell in Allerton.
For comparison, the next snowiest place in Iowa is Fort Dodge in Webster County. The city recorded 78 inches of snow, or 6 and a half feet, between December 2009 and February 2010.
More: Think Des Moines is too snowy? See how it compares to the snowiest cities in the US
Where in Iowa saw the snowiest day on record?
The snowiest day on record in Iowa takes us way back. The highest 24-hour snowfall period took place in Northboro, located in Page County, from February 25 to 26, 1912. On this day, 24 inches of snow was recorded.
The same thing happened on April 19 to 20, 1936, when 24 inches of snow was also recorded in a 24-hour window in Lenox, Iowa, located in Adams County.
Where was the largest record snow depth in Iowa?
The deepest amount of snow on the ground recorded in Iowa was 42 inches, 3 and a half feet, in Sioux Center from Feb. 20 to 22, 1936.
More: 2024 was a record-breaking year for tornadoes in Iowa. Here’s what we know.
When were the snowiest winters in Iowa?
Wayne Burch shovels snow after a snowplow passed by on Ninth Street in West Des Moines on March 16, 2001. Iowa had a record 105 inches of snow that winter.
Some of Iowa’s snowiest winters stretch back more than 100 years, with one record still standing from 1897-1898.
The top 10 snowiest winters in Iowa, according to Glisan, are:
Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Where does it snow the most in Iowa?