MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY...
- terryswails1
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Merry Christmas one and all, here's hoping the day is exceptional, loaded with the special people and memories of those who have enriched and shaped your life!
Personally, I am spending the next two days with family in Bloomington, Illinois. Due to the fact my wife says I need to be more involved, and the weather looks foggy, dreary, but quiet, this will be abbreviated. To compensate, I have tossed in my most memorable Christmas from a weather standpoint. In 1983, I was stranded by a ferocious ground blizzard in Dubuque, temperatures of 25 below and wind chills of minus 50 made the trip home impossible. As a result, presents with my family remained in wrapping paper for a later date. I can laugh about it now, but it was a pretty lonely Christmas that gave me new perspective about the importance of family time and traditions.
The Christmas Cold and Blizzard of December 1983 stands as one of the most brutal and unforgettable winter episodes in modern Midwest history—a true benchmark event that people still compare storms to more than 40 years later. The cold wave was an extreme arctic outbreak across the Midwest, Plains, and South from roughly December 18-26, setting record lows (like -30°F in Iowa, -27°F in Chicago), leading to crop damage in the deep south (especially citrus in Florida), and tragically resulting in over 150 deaths from hypothermia across 29 states, making it one of the most severe cold snaps in U.S. history.
The Setup: A Locking Arctic Pattern
In the days leading up to Christmas 1983, the atmosphere across North America locked into an extreme configuration:
A powerful Arctic high (surface pressure over 1060 mb) plunged south from northern Canada
The polar jet dipped deep into the central U.S., opening a direct pipeline of Siberian air
Snow cover across the Plains and Upper Midwest intensified the cold through radiational cooling
By December 21–22, temperatures across the Midwest were already falling rapidly, with 6-8 inches of fresh snow locally—but the worst was yet to come in terms of wind and cold.
The Bitter Cold Arrives: December 22–24
As the Arctic air poured in, temperatures collapsed:
Morning lows fell to –10°F to –30°F across much of the Midwest
Wind chills on the old scale plunged to –50°F to –70°F by Christmas Eve. (-82 in Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Pipes froze, furnaces failed, and cars simply would not start
Cities recorded some of their coldest readings ever observed:
Chicago: –27°F (Dec 24) – coldest Christmas Eve on record
Minneapolis–St. Paul: –25°F
Des Moines: –18°F
Quad Cities: –19°F with wind chills well below –50°F
Dubuque: -25F
This was no brief overnight dip—it was sustained, dangerous cold that persisted for multiple days December 18th through the 26th.
Christmas Eve Blizzard: December 23rd-24th
Leading up to Christmas Eve, a fast-moving but intense low-pressure system tracked along the Arctic boundary from the southern Plains into the Ohio Valley, opening the door for bitter cold to enter.
What made it devastating:
Existing powdery snow, up to a foot, was easily blown around by the Arctic air mass.
Sustained winds of 30–40 mph, gusting over 50 mph
Temperatures well below zero, creating deadly wind chills and hypothermia potential.
Snowfall totals:
New snowfall was minimal
Existing snow depths of 8-12 inches were in place when high winds struck
Rural areas experienced 10 foot drifts with most roads and highways closed.
This combination produced near-zero visibility for hours, officially qualifying the event as a ground blizzard.
Travel & Infrastructure Collapse
The timing—December 23rd through Christmas Day—made the storm especially impactful:
Interstates such as I-80, I-90, and I-94 were closed
Thousands of holiday motorists were stranded
National Guard units conducted rescues
Power outages affected thousands
Emergency rooms treated widespread frostbite and hypothermia
In many rural areas, roads were impassable for multiple days, and farm communities were completely cut off.
Why December 1983 Still Matters
Meteorologists still cite this event because it combined:
Historic Arctic air
Blizzard conditions
Holiday timing
Long-duration impacts
It became the standard against which later cold waves—such as January 1994, January 2014, and February 2021—are measured.
For those who lived through it, the Christmas Eve blizzard 1983 is remembered not for gifts or gatherings—but for the howling wind, the frozen silence, and the sheer power of Midwestern winter.
Christmas Eve Blizzard in Eastern Iowa
Late December 23d into early the 24th, a compact but intense low rode the thermal boundary south of Iowa, dragging a ground blizzard directly across eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois.
Why it hit the Quad Cities so hard:
Extreme cold, with actual temperatures 10 to 25 below
Winds gusting to 35–45 mph
Snow was easily lofted, creating ground blizzards even with minimal falling snow
Snowfall:
Quad Cities: New snow 1/2 inch
Surrounding eastern Iowa: 1 inch or less
Drifts of 8–15 feet were common in open country due to a fluffy 10 inches of snow on the ground
Visibility frequently dropped to near zero, especially along east-west roads.
I-80, I-74, and Total Isolation
For the Quad Cities, this was the defining impact.
I-80 was closed across eastern Iowa
I-74 bridge traffic was halted at times
Rural roads blocked by massive drifts
Some townships were unreachable for 48–72 hours
Farm families in Scott, Muscatine, Clinton, and Cedar counties reported:
Livestock losses
Frozen water lines
Tractors unable to start even indoors
National Guard and county crews used front-end loaders just to reach stranded motorists.
Christmas Day: Cold, Silent, Dangerous
By Christmas morning, the blowing snow had ended—but the danger had not.
Temperatures: still below –10°F
Wind chills: remained on the old scale of –40°F to –50°F
Snowdrifts hardened like concrete
Families who made it to gatherings often did so on foot or by snowmobile. Many simply stayed home—isolated but alive.
Aftermath in the Quad Cities
The cold eased beyond Christmas:
Subzero lows continued into December 26th
Snow cover persisted into January
Mississippi River ice thickened rapidly, setting up later ice-jam concerns
For the Quad Cities:
December 1983 remains as the second coldest on record
It became the benchmark event older residents still reference when new cold waves arrive
You’ll still hear:
“This is the coldest since ’83.”
Why Eastern Iowa And Western Illinois Still Remembers It
Unlike some historic storms that hit and were short lived, December 1983 was relentless:
Multiple days of extreme cold
True white-out conditions with zero visibility and deadly cold
A perfectly timed blizzard during peak holiday travel
For eastern Iowa and the Quad Cities, it wasn’t just a storm—it was a test of endurance.
🕛 Saturday, Dec. 24 – CHRISTMAS EVE OBSERVATIONS QUAD CITIES (Peak Event)
Time | Temp | Wind | Wind Chill |
3 AM | –17 | NW 25 mph | –48 |
6 AM | –20 | NW 28 mph | –55 |
9 AM | –18 | NW 30 mph | –52 |
Noon | –14 | NW 32 mph | –49 |
3 PM | –12 | NW 35 mph | –47 |
6 PM | –15 | NW 38 mph | –52 |
9 PM | –17 | NW 35 mph | –55 |
Midnight | –18 | NW 30 mph | –53 |
❄️ Blizzard conditions developed late Friday and continued into early Saturday, with severe blowing snow reducing visibility to near zero at times.
As one who was stranded by the storm, unable to reach my family at Christmas, I would say the emotional impacts on many were often nearly as great as the weather related ones. However, not to diminishing the power of the storm, never before or since have I seen winter conditions as ruthless and deadly as that. The extreme cold, wind, and zero visibility was unmatched, especially over such a long duration. Despite the fact it was 42 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. Merry Christmas and roll weather...TS
