Ice Storm of 1990
- Thread starter Trice
- Start date
If I remember......this storm was unique in that at ground level up to maybe 20 feet in the air it was above freezing. Above that there was very cold layer that was making the rain freeze on contact to trees, buildings etc. I remember that because we drove around the city and other than car lights it was pitch black, and the streets were just wet, but the trees(upper half) were coated with ice. It seemed every minute you would see in the distance that green glow of a transformer blowing. It was quite surreal.
I remember this so well, but my how time has made things a little fuzzy with age.
I had to google the exact dates of the storm, but the events were pretty clear.
Grew up in rural Boone county and the storm started on my birthday as my mom was making my birthday cheesecake, the power went out. My parents had a trip planned to go to Vegas and they actually went and left the three of us with my Aunt who was at ISU at the time.
No power for 3+ days, no school, no heat. I remember playing board games and just trying to stay warm as we couldn’t go anywhere as the roads were a mess. Eerie sounds hearing the crashing of big maple limbs hitting the roof of our house.
Once things improved, and Des Moines regained power, we went to stay with my Uncle and his family in DSM until my parents returned.
Next time you drive down Highway 141 from Woodward all the way to Grimes take note of a large power lines south of the road. They were all toppled over like dominoes for 20+ miles due to the weight of the ice on the lines/poles.
I had to google the exact dates of the storm, but the events were pretty clear.
Grew up in rural Boone county and the storm started on my birthday as my mom was making my birthday cheesecake, the power went out. My parents had a trip planned to go to Vegas and they actually went and left the three of us with my Aunt who was at ISU at the time.
No power for 3+ days, no school, no heat. I remember playing board games and just trying to stay warm as we couldn’t go anywhere as the roads were a mess. Eerie sounds hearing the crashing of big maple limbs hitting the roof of our house.
Once things improved, and Des Moines regained power, we went to stay with my Uncle and his family in DSM until my parents returned.
Next time you drive down Highway 141 from Woodward all the way to Grimes take note of a large power lines south of the road. They were all toppled over like dominoes for 20+ miles due to the weight of the ice on the lines/poles.
Definitely remember the floods of 1993 as well.
The bridge on Highway 30 crossing the Des Moines River between Boone and Ogden was closed for the better part of the summer as the river was out of its banks almost to the Seven Oaks turn off (close to a mile distance).
Mom worked in Boone at the time and had to take the long way to work and came into Boone from the east vs. the west the entire summer.
I also remember going down to the Ledges after the waters had receded and saw one of the shelters buried in silt up to its roof line. Also noticed a big oak tree with the high water marks from the years floods in addition to prior floods (the placards were an easy 50 ft up from the ground).
The bridge on Highway 30 crossing the Des Moines River between Boone and Ogden was closed for the better part of the summer as the river was out of its banks almost to the Seven Oaks turn off (close to a mile distance).
Mom worked in Boone at the time and had to take the long way to work and came into Boone from the east vs. the west the entire summer.
I also remember going down to the Ledges after the waters had receded and saw one of the shelters buried in silt up to its roof line. Also noticed a big oak tree with the high water marks from the years floods in addition to prior floods (the placards were an easy 50 ft up from the ground).
One of the things I remember was that there was concern the Des Moines Grand Prix was going to be cancelled. Mayor John Dorrian said that even thought the rivers were bankful.....it would take a biblical event to stop the Grand Prix. Well that night, up by Jefferson in the Raccoon basin......they received if I remember, about 11 inches of rain...on top of what already was happening. Woke up at 3 am to find water was out, and the city was cut in half at the Des Moines river. Needless to say the event was cancelled, and if remember correctly because they lost so much money the next year was the last.
You are legitimately one of the funniest posters on here. Wish I had half your humor ability
I was in 6th grade when this happened, in town, we didn't have power for 4 or 5 days but a friend who lived in the country got it back in a day or two. His parents let a group of us kids stay with them until the power was back on. We played a lot of Nintendo and I felt up his 8th grade sister (a first for me)....pretty good storm.
The thing I remember most about that summer was how beautiful the weather was when it wasn't raining. Just a bunch of great, comfortable summer days.
Blizzard of '78 was awesome. No power for days, sleeping on a mattress in the living room with the rest of the house closed off, only heat was from the gas oven, listening to the radio, playing board games by candlelight.
Wow- she was two years older than you in Middle School?? Your game was much better than mine...
