Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On March 18, 1923, one of the snowiest weeks in Iowa’s history ended. With up to 30 inches reported at locations in the state, the storm took the lives of six Midwesterners while slowly dropping enormous amounts of snow throughout the region.
The storm rolled in with 40 mph winds, and snow fell fast and heavy. In parts of the state, the storm stopped the mail for several days, and Des Moines dispatched an additional 200 personnel to try to keep up with the rapidly accumulating snow.
Agriculture specifically suffered in the storm, with a large estimated number of young lambs and pigs lost on farms throughout the state. Although the wheat crop rode out the storm under a layer of snow from the previous week, coal and food shortages dramatically impacted Iowans in all parts of the state. In Marshalltown, a snow plow working to clear the North Western Railroad hopped off the tracks, injuring five.
Although the sun finally shined the following day as people across Iowa dug out, temperatures hit the lowest of the winter at 10.2 degrees below zero. Although the storm was one of the worst in the state’s history, Iowans looked forward to rapidly rising temperatures, which would bring the state toward spring. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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