Is Iowa Colder Than Alaska Right Now?

Winter really just slapped us in the face here in Iowa, right?

Last week, we saw record breaking snowfall all across the state, especially in Eastern Iowa. Waterloo even broke a major winter weather record!

According to the National Weather Service out of Des Moines, Waterloo smashed their five-day snowfall record. The previous record-breaking amount for this Eastern Iowa city was approximately 16 inches.

Pretty impressive, right?

Well, the preliminary Monday through Friday (January 8th through January 19th) totals were 23.9 inches.

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The majority of the state was hit with approximately 20 inches of snowfall in total last week.

After moving to the Midwest three years ago, I learned that snow isn't SO bad.

Just a reminder...I still HATE snow, but if there's no wind and it's not too cold then I can deal with it.

We experienced ALL of that over the weekend. Snow and ice accumulations as well as strong wind-gusts all together created the perfect circumstances for blizzard-like conditions.

In addition, according to our weather partners at KCRG, a Wind Chill Warning is in effect for most of Eastern Iowa through Tuesday at noon. Eastern Iowans should expect even more brutally cold temperatures on Monday (January 15th) evening.

Officials predict that overnight temperatures could reach as low as -22 degrees. Then with the wind chill that is set to continue, it is expected to feel even colder.

They are anticipated to be anywhere between the -20- and -40-degree range through at least midday on Tuesday (January 16th).

It's expected to warm up by midweek where Eastern Iowans are expected to see a high of 0 degrees.

Sounds like we're living in a Midwestern winter tundra.

After living through these awful winter weather conditions, I started to think that Iowans must be living in conditions similar to Antarctica or Alaska right now.

I could not be more wrong...

Which Is Colder? Iowa or Alaska?

When you think of Alaska weather conditions, you're probably imagining a whole lot of snow, frigid temperatures, and icicles hanging off of people's beards. This month, you can almost use that to describe Iowa!

According to reports, the average temperature in Alaska for the month of January is about 27 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Here in the Hawkeye State, on average we usually see temperatures around 28.4 degrees Fahrenheit at this time of the year. With the frigid temperatures we've been getting over the past few days, Iowa has actually been colder than Alaska.

Let's compare a few key cities to really get the scope of these weather conditions...

Iowa Weather Temps on January 15th, 2024

Des Moines: -9 degrees Fahrenheit

Cedar Rapids: -9 degrees Fahrenheit

Iowa City: -12 degrees Fahrenheit

Waterloo: -10 degrees Fahrenheit

Just a reminder! With the wind chill, it's expected to feel a whole lot colder!

Alaska Weather Temps on January 15th, 2024

Anchorage: 18 degrees Fahrenheit

Juneau: 35 degrees Fahrenheit

Kodiak: 29 degrees Fahrenheit

Sitka: 40 degrees Fahrenheit

For the first time in your life, you might be considering a move to Alaska after taking a look at these differing temperatures!

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