THE WINTER OF 1978-79

Many articles have been written about the winters of 1915 and 1936-37 and from photos that I have seen, they were quite severe.  When I hear someone talk about a bad winter, however, my thoughts always turn to the worst winter I have ever experienced -- that of 1978-79.  My thanks to my mother-in-law, Irene Kramer, for sharing her photos of that time with me.

My husband and I had been married for several years and our first child had been born in May of 1978.  We lived in an old farmhouse about five miles southwest of Algona.  Not well insulated and with old leaky windows, it was heated with an oil burner in the living room and a wood stove in the kitchen.  We were on the old Irvington power line which frequently went down when high winds arose.  With a six month old in the house, we did our best to keep it as warm and cozy as possible. 

WINTER BEGINS

By the middle of November of 1978, winter had settled in with a six inch snowfall on the 17^th.  Traces of snow continued to fall for several days after that without leaving any measurable amounts.  Temps began to dip lower, with highs hovering around 15 degrees and lows in the single digits.  Thanksgiving Day brought two more inches and another inch on the 28^th finished out the month.

My brother-in-law and his wife lived just a mile north of us and were expecting a baby in early December.  Due to some issues with the pregnancy, it was recommended that the baby be delivered in Mason City which meant at least an hour long trip.  Several of the November snowfalls were accompanied by high winds.  The ditches along our gravel road at the time were shallow and narrow and it didn’t take long for them to fill in causing large drifts to accumulate on the road.  Although a date was set to induce labor, as each storm created more road problems, we worried that if she went into early labor she might not be able to make it to Mason City.  The day before the scheduled induction, five inches of snow was added to the growing piles increasing our concern.  We were thankful that everything went as planned with her safe arrival at the hospital on the 4^th and the delivery of their healthy baby boy later that day.

Electric line poles February, 1979

The December snowfalls were just beginning though.  A two-day blizzard arrived on the 8^th.  Although not much new snow arrived, the snowflakes that did fall were described as being “cotton ball-sized.” Those along with what was already on the ground were swept up in 30 mph winds creating large drifts and zero visibility at times.  Highs of -1° contributed to dangerous travel conditions.  School classes and all related activities were cancelled.

Although wind seems ever present on this prairie that we love, it didn’t even take a fresh snowfall for the winds to create problems that winter.  Drifting seemed to be a constant complication.  Then just a few days before Christmas we received another 4 inches of snow.  Besides creating travel difficulties, large drifts blew into farmsteads blocking entrances to farm buildings, clogging up feeding floors and endangering livestock. 

At that time we only owned one tractor with a cab on it which was not heated.  It did provide welcome relief from the prevailing winds, however, and my husband was thankful to have it.  All snow was moved with a bucket loader or by hand—no fancy snow blowers or other conveniences that we take for granted today.  Allen would usually move snow for a while and then come in the house to warm up near the wood stove where his gloves would be laid to dry. 

By this time our son was beginning to pull himself up and look out the window.  He loved to look out our south kitchen window where he could see Allen in the tractor moving snow.  The bitter cold kept us housebound and so those low placed windows provided much needed entertainment for him.  He delighted in seeing his daddy working outside.

JANUARY ARRIVES

We all looked forward to the beginning of 1979 in the hope that winter would have done her worst and we could begin the countdown to spring.  That turned out not to be the case. 

Snow plow going by on Jan. 14, 1979

A three-day blizzard began on January 11^th.  Eight inches of snow fell over that period.  Visibility was nil due to the high winds.  East-west traffic was non-existent.  Multiple vehicles, including a snow plow, became stuck in the drifts blocking Highway 18.  Local stores—Alco, K-Mart and Hood’s Super Valu—closed midafternoon on Saturday due to the severity of the weather and lack of shoppers.  On Saturday night, January 13^th, the thermometer read -17°.

An article in the January 18, 1979 edition of the Algona Upper Des Moines relates the story of the Ed and Judy Otis family who provided food and shelter to 27 stranded motorists during that storm.  Living along Highway 18 just east of Wesley, their home became a safe haven to storm weary travelers who considered themselves lucky to have found the driveway to the Otis home in white-out conditions.

Drifts between buildings

Piles of snow along the roads and in yards were getting higher and higher.  Roads drifted shut on a regular basis whether there was new snowfall or not.  Not that we lacked for additional snowfall—three inches on January 26th and two inches on the 27^th added to the growing snowbanks.  We could not count on regular mail delivery any more.  If and when you were lucky enough to get to town, you picked up the mail at the post office. 

In late January I went back to work for a local law firm, working in their tax department.  By this time the gravel road leading north from our home was almost impassable.  It was now a one lane path through a mountain of snow.  The few times that I had to take that road I prayed until I was more than half way through because that meant if I met another car, the other driver would be the one that would have to back up until it could get out of the way to let me to pass.  That winter my normal route became turning south out of my drive, turning east onto the blacktop at the first intersection, and catching Highway 169 to take into town.

One lane on gravel road

FEBRUARY BLAST

Snow plow going by 2/9/1979

The month of February arrived with cold temps but relatively little snowfall—a half inch on 3^rd and an inch on the 8^th.  About the time we got our hopes up, Mother Nature decided she wasn’t through with us yet as another blizzard blew in on February 15^th, lasting two days.  Both major highways were closed due to seven to eight foot drifts blocking all lanes.  Abandoned cars blocked roads leading to chain reaction pileups.  Clearing roads was nearly impossible and the State of Iowa called in their plows at 1:44 pm the first day of the storm.  Temperatures plunged over 50° in less than 24 hours with the mercury at -20° and wind chill at -70°.  Emergency calls took hours for response.

The severity of the weather caused a ripple effect throughout the area.  School closings had extended the school year well into summer.  Fuel and electric bills were at all-time highs.  Area businesses suffered as shoppers were unable to get into town except to prepare for the next round of storms.

FINALLY MARCH

Mailbox and road heading north

Toward the end of February, temperatures began to moderate and snowfall lessened to just an occasional trace.  March came in like a lamb with a high on the 1^st of 34° and a low of 19°.  However, Old Man Winter laughed at us once again.  On the weekend of March 4^th and 5^th, he dumped 8 more inches on us.  Rain had fallen before the snow began, creating an ice covering over all surfaces.  The blizzard conditions, coupled with the ice, created a treacherous travel environment.  Mayor Harold Van Allen made special arrangements with the city crews to keep the streets leading to Good Samaritan Center plowed and with the local police to transport workers to and from the nursing home so that care of the residents would not suffer.

WINTER ENDS

Snowfall for the winter finally stopped by the end of March.  In all, the area received more than 55 inches that season.  Kossuth County ended up spending $500,000 that winter for snow removal.  With their original budget estimate of $75,000 completely blown away, the excess funds that were spent had to be taken out of other parts of the budget causing the postponement of some road and bridge projects originally scheduled to be completed in 1979.  Spring flooding also caused a number of issues as the mountains of snow began to melt.

As for me, I was thankful to see that winter come to an end.  Our little boy hated to be bundled up to leave the house and he was anxious to get outside and explore the farm without the need for snowsuit, boots, caps and gloves.  I was ready for travel on our gravel road to return to normal and my husband to be relieved from the constant battle of moving snow.

We didn’t know it at the time, but 1979 would go on to be known for a much greater weather event than its hard winter, but that is another story for another day.

Until next time,

Jean, a/k/a Kossuth County History Buff

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