SIZABLE SNOWFALL: Newton accumulates 9 inches of snow Tuesday

Steve Tielbur, store manager of the local Fareway, was on shovel duty the morning after a Tuesday storm piled nine inches of snow on top of sidewalks, driveways and streets in Newton. Much of the grocery store parking lot was clear, but Tielbur braved the cold to clear any buildup on the ends of sidewalks.

“You know when the snowplows come by again it’s going to cover it back up,” he said with a laugh, still shoveling away the massive snowballs that had formed along the northwest curb overlooking the library, Park Centre and Eye Care Center of Newton. By early morning, the city was still blanketed in a white haze.

According to National Weather Service Meteorologist Kristy Carter, much of Jasper County received between eight to nine inches of snow. The storm began early Tuesday morning and persisted throughout most of the day. Snowfall tapered off at night for most Central Iowa communities.

“A lot of areas in Central Iowa did see a glazing of freezing drizzles that kind of went over top the snow,” Carter told Newton News during a Wednesday phone interview. “The heaviest band of snow went right through … southwest Iowa to east-central Iowa. That did include parts of the Des Moines.”

In fact, the Des Moines International Airport had 9.6 inches, which was a record for the facility, Carter added.

The winter storm went about as expected. Newton Fire Department warned residents about the upcoming flurries in a Facebook post. Newton Fire Chief Jarrod Wellik said conditions would deteriorate quickly and urged citizens to use extreme caution when out and about.

Street parking within the city is not allowed until snowfall has stopped and the streets have been plowed full width.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com