The record
Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.
| event_type | Heavy Snow |
|---|---|
| ncei_event_id | 5,539,770 |
| episode_id | 2,403,181 |
| begin_utc | 1996-01-18T17:00:00+00:00 |
| end_utc | 1996-01-19T04:00:00+00:00 |
| state | IOWA |
| cz_type | Z |
| cz_name | BLACK HAWK |
| deaths_direct | 0 |
| deaths_indirect | 0 |
| injuries_direct | 0 |
| injuries_indirect | 0 |
| episode_narrative | A major winter storm system moved through the central U.S. duing the night of the 17th and into the day on the 18th. Actually, there were two storm centers which affected Iowa. The first developed over the Rockies and advanced across Kansas before turning northeast across western Iowa. Later on, during the 18th, a second low developed over Arkansas and southern Missouri, then advanced northeast through Illinois before merging with the parent low ove northeast Wisconsin. A very sharp Arctic front moved across the state during the early morning hours of the 18th. Ahead of this front, very warm air was drawn north with surface temperatures near 60 degrees F. and dew point temperatures in the middle 50s. Thunderstorms boke out over most of the east half of the state. Behind the cold front, temperatures fell quickly into the single digits above zero on very strong northwest winds. Rain changed to freezing rain and sleet briefly before changing to snow. Icing was not a major problem due to the short period of freezing rain. High winds became a problem for all of Iowa during the predawn and morning hours of the 18th. Winds were sustained in the 30 to 45 MPH range through the entire day with numerous gusts over 55 MPH. Some of the strongest winds were reported at Sioux City with several gusts to 63 MPH. Other high gusts included 60 MPH at Algona, 59 MPH at Mason City, and 54 MPH at Waterloo and Storm Lake. Most places were buffeted by winds in excess of 50 MPH. Though not extreme, some damage occurred due to the high winds. Scattered reports were received of minor tree damage and power outages. The heaviest damage was over the northwest part of the state were trees were already ice coated from the freezing rain of the previous day. The combination of strong winds and falling temperatures lead to very cold wind chill values. Wind chill values dropped to between 45 and 65 degrees below zero over all of Iowa by the later afternoon hours. One death occurred in Butler County near Bristow. A 72 year old man became stranded and died of exposure as he attempted to walk to a nearby house for help. Snow fall across much of the state, though amounts were generally light with 1 to 4 inch amounts common. During the day, as the secondary low pressure moved northeast, heavy snow fell over the northeast counties of the state. Anywhere from 5 to 8 inches fell in a band extending from east of Marshalltown, through Waterloo, to Decorah. Some of the heavier amounts included 8.3 inches in Waterloo, 7 inches at New Hampton, and 6 inches at both Postville and Dorchester. The main problem was not the snow, which was fairly light in consistency, but the wind and cold. High winds produced blizzard conditions over all of Iowa with visibility reduced to under 1/8 mile in most areas. Many reports of whiteout conditions and near zero visibility were received from rural aras. The blizzard conditions resulted in the cancellation of most events during the afternoon and evening hours. Travel became nearly impossible across the state. |
| year | 1,996 |
Provenance
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Storage: spine