Cold in Iowa, January 17 to 19, 1996

Name: Cold in Iowa, January 17 to 19, 1996
Start: 1996-01-17T19:00
End: 1996-01-19T03:00
Location: Iowa

January 17 to 19, 1996 · NWS OAX · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A blast of Arctic air invaded southwest Iowa during the evening of the 17th. The day started out with dense fog and temperatures around freezing.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 OAX wrote it up.

A blast of Arctic air invaded southwest Iowa during the evening of the 17th. The day started out with dense fog and temperatures around freezing. By late afternoon, a large temperature gradient had been established with freezing drizzle at Missouri Valley and temperatures in the 50s over much of extreme southwestern Iowa. The strong cold front moved through the area plummeting temperatures and was accompanied by sustained winds from 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph. Light rain preceded the frontal passage, with light snow behind the front. Extreme wind chills from -40 to -60 degrees persisted for 30 hours.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Monona

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Monona forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.052, -95.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Harrison

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Harrison forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.683, -95.817 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Shelby

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Shelby forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.685, -95.310 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Pottawattamie

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Pottawattamie forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.337, -95.542 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Mills

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Mills forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.034, -95.621 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Montgomery

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.030, -95.156 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Fremont

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Fremont forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.746, -95.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Page

When: January 17, 7:00 PM CST to January 19, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Page forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.739, -95.150 (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

Every storm in Iowa in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5535960, 5535961, 5535962, 5535963, 5535964, 5535965, 5535966, 5535967.