Winter Storm, Buchanan
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Buchanan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Iowa, December 25 to 26, 1996
Heavy snow fell Christmas evening causing surprisingly few accidents. Generally a 3 to 5 inch band of new snow fell north of I80 up to Highway 20.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS DVN wrote it up.
Heavy snow fell Christmas evening causing surprisingly few accidents. Generally a 3 to 5 inch band of new snow fell north of I80 up to Highway 20. The heaviest report, 7.9 inches of snow was reported in Dubuque and snow removal crews in Dubuque spent the next two days digging out. While airline flights were able to depart as scheduled that evening, many persons had difficulty reaching the Dubuque airport and missed their flights.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Delaware
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Delaware forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Dubuque
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dubuque forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.469, -90.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Benton
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.080, -92.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Linn
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Linn forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.079, -91.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jones
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jones forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.121, -91.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jackson
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.172, -90.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Iowa
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Iowa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.686, -92.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Johnson
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.672, -91.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Cedar
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Cedar forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.772, -91.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Clinton
- When
- December 25, 5:00 PM CST to December 26, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clinton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.898, -90.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Cold in South Carolina, December 25, 1996
- Avalanche in Washington, December 25, 1996
- Cold in North Dakota, December 25, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Cold in Kansas, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Debris Flows in Oregon, December 25 to 31, 1996
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 25 to 26, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 25 to 26, 1996
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5580806, 5580807, 5580808, 5580809, 5580810, 5580811, 5580812, 5580813, 5580814, 5580815, 5580816.