Cold/Wind Chill, Buchanan
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Buchanan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Iowa, February 1 to 4, 1996
After major Winter Storms on the 19th and the 26th, a blanket of thick snow lay across the area. A re-enforcing shot of cold air pushed over the area on the 30th and took temperatures below zero through the first few days of February.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 21 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
- 21
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.
After major Winter Storms on the 19th and the 26th, a blanket of thick snow lay across the area. A re-enforcing shot of cold air pushed over the area on the 30th and took temperatures below zero through the first few days of February. All time record low temperatures occurred at many locations during a 6 day period. Record lows ranged from -25 to -32 for 2 to 3 nights, with highs reaching only -10 to -15 degrees during the day for 2 to 3 days. Waine Kirby, president of the Iowa Sheep Industry and Chairman of the Iowa Sheep Advisory Board said: "this has been the toughest lambing season he has been through." Due to the extreme cold temperatures trade at the livestock shows was very light and a meat packing plant had to bring in 6,000 hogs to continue production. The extreme cold also caused insulator failures that left thousands of customers without power. The crews would restore power in one area only to have another failure elsewhere. In the Quad Cities 1 man nearly lost his fingers due to exposure while he changed a tire on his car. A homeless man lost toes due to frostbite after sleeping outside under a bridge. Other homeless persons were using busses to stay inside and warm.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
21 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Delaware
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Delaware forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Dubuque
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dubuque forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.469, -90.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Benton
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.080, -92.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Linn
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Linn forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.079, -91.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Jones
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jones forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.121, -91.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Jackson
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.172, -90.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Iowa
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Iowa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.686, -92.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Johnson
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.672, -91.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Cedar
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cedar forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.772, -91.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Clinton
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clinton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.898, -90.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Muscatine
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Muscatine forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.484, -91.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Scott
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Scott forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.637, -90.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Keokuk
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Keokuk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.337, -92.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Washington
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.336, -91.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Louisa
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Louisa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.219, -91.260 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Jefferson
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.032, -91.949 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Henry
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Henry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.988, -91.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Des Moines
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Des Moines forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.923, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Van Buren
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Van Buren forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.753, -91.950 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Lee
- When
- February 1, 12:00 AM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.642, -91.479 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Mississippi, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Wyoming, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Michigan, February 1 to 6, 1996
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Montana, February 1, 1996
- Ice Storm in Mississippi, February 1 to 2, 1996
- Cold in Ohio, February 1 to 5, 1996
- Winter Storm in Texas, February 1 to 2, 1996
- Winter Storm in Alabama, February 1 to 3, 1996
- Winter Storm in Mississippi, February 1 to 3, 1996
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, February 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: 5542797, 5542798, 5542799, 5542800, 5542801, 5542802, 5542803, 5542804, 5542805, 5542806, 5542807, 5542808, 5542809, 5542810, 5542811, 5542812, 5542813, 5542814, 5542815, 5542816, 5542817.