Winter storm packs a wallop for North Iowa

(Above) The work was steady for Joshua Monson on Friday, as he helped with downtown snow removal. -Reporter photo by Marianne Gasaway

Friday’s snow event was all that meteorologists warned.  An estimated 10-inches of snow fell on Clear Lake starting early Friday morning and picking up speed throughout the day.  The addition of gusty winds by mid-afternoon forced businesses to close early, as most hunkered down.  

Schools had cancelled classes in event of the storm.

A sign of how the day was going to go came early, as Interstate 35 northbound was closed about 12:45 p.m. after a semi was left straddling the road.

A short while later, Iowa State Patrol trooper Dana  Knutson,  from District 8, was injured when his squad car parked along I-35 was hit by a semi.

The State Patrol says Knutson was in the car assisting with another crash when his car was hit by the semi. He suffered minor injuries and was checked out at Mercy Medical Center - North Iowa.

State officials were advising people to avoid driving Friday evening, as winds picked up causing white-out conditions.

The ISP reported that between 5 a.m. Friday, Jan. 14 and 8 a.m. Jan. 15 it covered 119 crashes and made 328 motorist assists.  Property damage occurred in 105 instances.  Fourteen personal injury reports were made.  There were no fatalities as a result of the winter storm.

The Interstate remained open throughout the storm and those who had to go out were urged to use caution and drive at a safe speed.

Locally, Police Chief Pete Roth said the community’s third major snowfall of the season was handled well by the public.

“It seemed like more cars were moved off the streets; only a couple of citations were issued,” Roth reported to the City Council.  

Public Works Director Jeremy Korenberg said things also went well from his department’s perspective, too.  The plows got busy about 12:30 p.m. Friday and worked until about 7:30, he said.  Operations resumed about midnight and by noon Saturday most snow had been hauled out of the downtown and roads were clear.

Eight to 10 inches of snow was generally reported along a line stretching from Estherville in the north to Corydon, Iowa in the south.