Cold/Wind Chill, Buchanan
- When
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Buchanan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Iowa, January 30 to 31, 1996
After major winter storms on the 19th and 26th a blanket of thick snow lay across much of 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 26th a blanket of thick snow lay across much of 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.
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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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
- January 30, 8:00 PM CST to January 31, 11:59 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, January 30, 1996
- Cold in Washington, January 30, 1996
- Cold in Wyoming, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Hawaii, January 30, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Mississippi, January 30, 1996
- Cold in Wisconsin, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Cold in Illinois, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Blizzard in Wyoming, January 30, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, January 30 to 31, 1996
- Cold in Montana, January 30, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 30 to 31, 1996
- High Wind in Hawaii, January 30 to 31, 1996
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5542583, 5542584, 5542585, 5542586, 5542587, 5542588, 5542589, 5542590, 5542591, 5542592, 5542593, 5542594, 5542595, 5542596, 5542597, 5542598, 5542599, 5542600, 5542781, 5542782, 5542783.