There’s No Chance Iowa Isn’t One Of The Snowiest States…Is There?

A few weeks ago most Iowans experienced just how irritating an Iowa winter can be. Right around Christmas, temperatures were freezing, Iowa was blasted by snow and wind, and major highways were closed. When you think of states with terrible winter weather, Iowa should always be included in the top 10.

What happens if we get rid of the cold temperatures and the windchill, and only focus on the amount of snow each state gets? Iowa certainly should be one of the states with the most snow...right?

Wise Voter recently did a study on the snowiest states in America. While the top 3 snowiest states in America are all on the east coast. Alaska, Wyoming, and Michigan take spots 4,5 and 6.

Before reading this list, I can admit to being guilty of having a midwest bias. I grew up in Minnesota, which arrives as the 9th snowiest state in America, so I just kind of assumed Iowa wouldn't be far behind. It turns out Iowa isn't even one of the top 15 snowiest states in America.

According to Wise Voter, Iowa's average annual snowfall is 36.17, which ranks as the 19th snowiest state in America. Having not gone through my first full Iowa winter yet is starting to show...

That's not to say Iowa doesn't have days where a high volume of snow shows up. According to the Des Moines Register, On December 8, 2009, Iowa received 10.6 inches of snow. That's a little more than 1/4 of the average annual snowfall in a single day. The Register also mentions the 9.6 inches that fell on December 29, 2020.

If you were to simply guess where Iowa would show up on the snowiest states in the country, would you have believed the state doesn't finish in the top 15? I wouldn't have. I seemed to forget all about the east coast as I was reading the study. Dare I say, maybe winters aren't as bad in Iowa as I originally believed.