Name: Blizzard in Iowa, January 26 to 27, 1996
Start: 1996-01-26T14:10
End: 1996-01-27T04:00
Location: Iowa

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: 9

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.

A Blizzard Warning was issued in the middle of a major winter storm as winds which had been 20-30 mph were forecast to increase into the 30 to 40 mph range with gusts to 50 mph. This combinded with continued heavy snow (see the Winter Storm for the same time) produced extreme blowing and drifting of snow. A State of Emergency was issued by the Governor of Iowa. This brought the aid of the Iowa National Gaurd to local Law Enforcement, which was already involved in rescuing numerous stranded motorists. Mount Vernon tried to go with a late start on schools. While the busses where out to pick up the children, the weather continued to worsen. Before the children made it to school, school was cancelled and all the busses were told to begin to take the children back home. At about 845 am, while trying to stop at the intersection, one school bus slid off the snow-covered road into the ditch. No children were injured and a second bus was sent to take the children home. Iowa State Climatologist, Harry Hillaker, called this the worst blizzard for central Iowa since April 8-9th 1973.Cedar Rapids was hard hit by the blizzard and a three day, round the clock, clean up effort followed after the blizzard. Don Thomas, the Cedar Rapids Commissioner of Streets, estimated the cost of the clean up at $100,000.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Buchanan

When: January 26, 2:10 PM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Buchanan forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Delaware

When: January 26, 2:10 PM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Delaware forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.471, -91.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Dubuque

When: January 26, 2:10 PM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Dubuque forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.469, -90.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Benton

When: January 26, 2:10 PM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Benton forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Linn

When: January 26, 2:10 PM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Linn forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.079, -91.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jones

When: January 26, 2:10 PM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Jones forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.121, -91.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jackson

When: January 26, 2:10 PM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.172, -90.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Iowa

When: January 26, 2:10 PM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Iowa forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.686, -92.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Johnson

When: January 26, 2:10 PM CST to January 27, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.672, -91.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5542574, 5542575, 5542576, 5542577, 5542578, 5542579, 5542580, 5542581, 5542582.