This Is The One Thing Most Iowans Have Apparently Agreed On Lately

In a time of vastly differing opinions, one thing has seemed to unite Iowans.

Picture this situation: you're in the elevator at work. You want to be nice to the other person in it so one of you brings up that topic: the weather. Because unless you're lacking nerves, you can feel when it's cold and when it's hot.

If you want to be technical about it, meteorological winter is over. Meteorological Spring has begun. So sooner rather than later, that elevator chat will hopefully switch over into "It's so beautiful outside today".

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Iowans Agreed On This Point Since December

I'm from Arkansas so a bad winter to us is like 6-10 inches of snow total. I don't have a Midwestern gauge on winter. But every, and I do mean every, Quad Citian I've spoken to since December has used this key phrase when talking about weather:

mild winter

I've heard it more this year than last and more than any other year in my life. It's in every elevator or passing conversation I've been part of that's landed on the topic of weather. "It's a mild winter".

We did have that one cold snap that one week that brought us negative temps and put me in a negative mood but overall (so far and God willing) there haven't been massive snow and ice moments. The worst was probably the December snow event around Christmas week.

It's Spot On Though

Purdue University's Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI) did actually classify Winter 2023 as "Mild" for the Quad Cities, Clinton, and Iowa City. Cedar Rapids was considered "Moderate".

Actually, most of Iowa was ranked in the "Mild" or "Moderate" categories for the Winter. The most severe it got in Iowa was still measured as "Average" at Mason City, Sioux City, and Waterloo.

So When Will It Feel Like Spring?

I do think the Farmer's Almanac missed the mark a bit for Iowa this Winter, it's not the snow & ice-filled "hibernation zone" they expected for us. According to the Almanac, the Spring is worthy of foreboding alliteration, calling it a "soggy shivery Spring".

So don't hold your breath waiting for those Summer temps just yet. But so far it's not too terrible.