Heavy Snow in Iowa, December 24, 1997

Name: Heavy Snow in Iowa, December 24, 1997
Start: 1997-12-24T09:00
End: 1997-12-24T18:00
Location: Iowa

December 24, 1997 · NWS DMX · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

S. on the 24, bringing a swath of heavy snow across Iowa.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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: $56,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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.

An intense upper level low pressure swung northeast across the central U.S. on the 24, bringing a swath of heavy snow across Iowa. A band of five to eight inch snow fell from south central into southeast Iowa during the day Christmas Eve. Some freezing rain was mixed with the snow, however the icing was not a serious problem. Some of the heavier snowfall included 8 inches at Ottumwa, along with several 8 inch reports along the southern tier of counties from Ottumwa west to south of Creston. Seven inches was received in Chariton, with six to eight inches recorded in Poweshiek County. The snow made travel difficult as the consistency of the snow was of the heavy wet variety. Roads were slushy and gradually became snow covered during the late afternoon hours.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Appanoose

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Appanoose forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 40.743, -92.869 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Davis

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Davis forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 40.748, -92.410 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Decatur

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Decatur forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 40.738, -93.786 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lucas

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lucas forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 41.029, -93.328 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Mahaska

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Mahaska forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 41.335, -92.641 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Marion

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 41.334, -93.099 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Monroe

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 41.030, -92.869 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ringgold

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Ringgold forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 40.735, -94.244 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wapello

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Wapello forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 41.031, -92.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wayne

When: December 24, 9:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Property damage: $6,000
Coordinates: 40.740, -93.327 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, December 1997

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: 5621891, 5621892, 5621893, 5621894, 5621895, 5621896, 5621897, 5621898, 5621899, 5621900.