Blizzard in Iowa, March 24 to 25, 1996

Name: Blizzard in Iowa, March 24 to 25, 1996
Start: 1996-03-24T22:00
End: 1996-03-25T09:00
Location: Iowa

March 24 to 25, 1996 · NWS DMX · 41 events in 41 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 41 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: 41

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 DMX wrote it up.

The storm system that brought the severe weather to Iowa earlier in the afternoon tracked across central Iowa before heading to the east. A very strong pressure gradient developed behind the low as Arctic air plunged south into the state. High winds overspread the entire state during the evening and overnight hours. The strongest winds were over the far northwest with 68 MPH winds reported in Sioux City, and winds around 60 MPH reported around Mason City for example. Sustained winds were in the 30 to 45 MPH range over the state through much of the night with gusts in the 50 to 60 MPH range quite common. There were numerous reports of damage ranging from shingles torn off to fences blown down, to power outages. The damage as scattered, but over a large area. Along with the winds and sharply colder air was a change of rain into snow. Though the snowfall amounts were in the 2 to 5 inch range for the most part, the high winds resulted in blizzard conditions. Visibility was reduced to 100 feet in many places. Some roads, including parts of the Interstate system, were closed due to icy conditions and near zero visibility. The Governor of Iowa declared a state of emergency in a few counties of the northwest.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

41 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Emmet

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Emmet forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.378, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Kossuth

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Kossuth forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.204, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Winnebago

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Winnebago forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.378, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Worth

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Worth forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.377, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Mitchell

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Mitchell forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.356, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Howard

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Howard forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.357, -92.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Winneshiek

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Winneshiek forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.291, -91.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Allamakee

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Allamakee forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.284, -91.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Palo Alto

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Palo Alto forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.082, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hancock

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Hancock forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Cerro Gordo

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.082, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Floyd

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Floyd forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.060, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Chickasaw

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Chickasaw forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.060, -92.318 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Pocahontas

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Pocahontas forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Humboldt

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Humboldt forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.777, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wright

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Wright forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.733, -93.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Franklin

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.733, -93.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Butler

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Butler forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.732, -92.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Bremer

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Bremer forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.775, -92.318 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Fayette

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.863, -91.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sac

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Sac forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.386, -95.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Calhoun

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Calhoun forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.385, -94.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Webster

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Webster forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.428, -94.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hamilton

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hardin

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grundy

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Grundy forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.402, -92.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Black Hawk

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Black Hawk forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.470, -92.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Crawford

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.037, -95.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Carroll

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Carroll forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.036, -94.861 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Greene

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Greene forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.036, -94.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Boone

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.037, -93.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Story

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Story forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.036, -93.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Marshall

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.036, -92.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Audubon

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Audubon forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.685, -94.906 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Guthrie

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Guthrie forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.684, -94.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Dallas

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Dallas forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.685, -94.040 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Polk

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.686, -93.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Jasper

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Jasper forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.686, -93.054 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Cass

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.332, -94.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Adair

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Adair forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.331, -94.471 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Madison

When: March 24, 10:00 PM CST to March 25, 9:00 AM CST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.331, -94.016 (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

Every storm in Iowa in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, March 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: 5541000, 5541001, 5541002, 5541003, 5541004, 5541005, 5541006, 5541007, 5541008, 5541009, 5541010, 5541011, 5541012, 5541013, 5541014, 5541015, 5541016, 5541017, 5541018, 5541019, 5541020, 5541021, 5541022, 5541204, 5541205, 5541206, 5541207, 5541208, 5541209, 5541210, 5541211, 5541212, 5541213, 5541214, 5541215, 5541216, 5541217, 5541218, 5541219, 5541220, and more.