Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Dangerous winter conditions weren't on anyone's wish list
Though snow accumulation was light, strong winds and extremely low temps made for dangerous conditions in northwest Iowa last Thursday and Friday.
It wasn't so much the snow as it was the wind.
An intense winter storm blew through the upper Midwest last week just in time to wreck travel plans and cancel Christmas events throughout the region. Bitter wind chills repeatedly hit -40 degrees in northwest Iowa and visibility on roads dropped to zero as the storm raged last Thursday and Friday. Highways closed and travel was not advised during the blizzard, which stranded motorists who dared tempt Mother Nature's wrath.
According to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, local snow accumulations only topped 1-2 inches in O'Brien and Clay counties. However, local wind gusts were brutal, reaching a peak of 54 mph at the Spencer Municipal Airport. Wind chills hit -50 in Sheldon.
Drifts grew and hardened throughout the duration of the storm, making county roads impassable. Plows were pulled due to low visibility and only returned to duty on Saturday morning as the icy blast dissipated.
Despite furious conditions outside of city limits, Hartley Superintendent of Public Works Jaron Benz said very few issues were caused by the storm.
"All in all, everything operated well given the really cold temperatures," he said. "Outside of a couple random utility service calls, all the infrastructure operated without any issues."
The frigid temps spiked natural gas consumption in the City With a Heart as heaters struggled to keep up with the conditions outside. Benz said natural gas spot prices were elevated during the coldest days due to increased heating demand but were nowhere close to hikes seen during the cold snap in February of 2021.
"This increase has a likelihood to affect gas prices billed next month but to what extent we aren't sure yet," he explained. "We have 60-70 percent of gas purchases hedged in advance, so once we see how much spot gas was needed, we can figure out where gas prices will be."
The Southwest Power Pool sent out energy emergency alert notifications during the coldest periods of the storm; however, risk was low enough that the city did not have to implement conservation efforts.
Once the wind quit, city crews started digging out.
"The main operation was definitely snow moving," Benz said. "For city employees Friday and Monday were holidays, but they were moving snow everyday except on Christmas Day."
