We are beginning to wonder if we will be “weather challenged” in 2019. January started off with four new weather records as recorded by the National Weather Service in Moline, IL.*
January 30th gave us a new record daily low of -29 degrees Fahrenheit. That was followed by January 31st which presented us with not only a new daily low of -33 degrees Fahrenheit, but it also became the new minimum low recorded for the month of January.
The month was not done yet with records as January 2019 is now the snowiest January on record in Moline with 30.2 inches. It managed to dethrone January 1979’s grand total of 26.7 inches of snow.
February 23, 2019 presented us with a new daily maximum rainfall of 1.28 inches. It replaced 1.04 inches recorded on that date in 1925.
March snuck in one new daily record as well with a new daily maximum rainfall of 0.84 inch on March 10th. It replaced the daily record for that date of 0.82 inch set in 1882.
With all the snow our neighbors up north had accumulated, our snow levels, and the deep frost layer it came as very little surprise when April arrived with local rivers flooding.
Our weather record for April is the new #8 in the top ten floods at Lock and Dam 15, Rock Island, IL.
A crest of 20.63 (or possibly 20.64 or 20.65) feet** on April 8 pushed the previous #8 of 19.66 feet on April 20, 1997 to #9. The 19.40-foot flood of June 27, 1892 is now bumped to #10 while the flood of April 26, 1969 at 19.30 feet is now off the top ten list.
We thought we would share some images taken in downtown Davenport on April 9, 2019 during the crest which lasted two days. We have added a few photographs taken at the same locations from the July 4, 2014 flood of 20.90 feet to show some areas have changed while others remained the same.
April 9, 2019 – 0421 – Taken from Arsenal Bridge. Looking west on River Drive. Changes in Hesco barrier layout has stopped River Drive from flooding in 2019.
July 2014 – 017 – Taken from Arsenal Bridge. Looking west on River Drive with Hesco barriers.
April 9, 2019 – 0549 – Taken from parking garage corner of Main Street and River Drive facing Dillon fountain and Levee Inn.
July 2014 – 080 – Taken from parking garage corner of Main Street and River Drive facing Dillon fountain. Water is only slightly higher on basin than the photo from April 2019.
April 9, 2019 – 0446 – Main Street facing south to Dillon Fountain with Figge Art Museum on right side. Hesco barriers holding back water.
April 9, 2019 – 0472 – Taken from upper deck of Skybridge facing west. Mississippi River on far left. Levee Inn in foreground. Rear of photo shows LeClaire Park band shell and Ferris wheel. Union station on right.
July 2014 – 104 – Taken from upper deck of Skybridge facing west. Mississippi River on far left. Levee Inn in foreground. Rear of photo shows LeClaire Park band shell and Ferris wheel. Union station on upper right.
April 9, 2019 – 0548 – Taken from Talbot Memorial Bridge (formerly Centennial Bridge) looking east. Modern Woodmen Park on right. Railroad tracks going down the middle of the picture. Parking lot on the left.
July 2014 – 153 – Taken from Centennial Bridge looking east. Modern Woodmen Park on right. Railroad tracks going down the middle of the picture. Parking lot on the left.
April 9, 2019 – 0566 – Davenport City Cemetery. New headstones marking the graves of Civil War soldiers are on the right. River Drive should be on the left.
July 2014 – 186 – Davenport City Cemetery. Taken next to the large tree seen near new headstones in the April 9, 2019 photo. River Drive should be on the left.
April 9, 2019 – 0589 – Davenport City Cemetery corner of Sturdevant Street and River Drive.
July 2014 – 203 – Davenport City Cemetery corner of Sturdevant Street and River Drive. Water appears a little higher than in 2019.
Our only hope is the winter cold of this past winter does not turn into intense heat this summer as it did in 1936. More than once, extremely cold winters have been followed by record-breaking heat in the summer. That is one group of records we do not wish to break.
(posted by Amy D.)
*Record keeping began in May 1871.
**This is still a pending record until all data is verified by the National Weather Service. ***As of May 9, 2019, the pending crest for April 8 – 9, 2019 is now possibly 20.68 ft.
