Winter Storm, Buchanan
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Buchanan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Iowa, February 3 to 4, 1997
A wintery mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and heavy wet snow was accompanied by a few reports of lightning. Extreme lightning damage was done to a home in Washington, Iowa.
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.
A wintery mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and heavy wet snow was accompanied by a few reports of lightning. Extreme lightning damage was done to a home in Washington, Iowa. The greatest impact of the storm, however, resulted from the two-to-eight-inch snowfall across the area. The heaviest snows fell along and north of a Cedar Rapids to Dubuque line. Lesser snow accumulations to the south were the result of mixed sleet and rain. Slick and snow-covered roads caused school delays and cancellations, and numerous accidents including one involving three dozen cars. Scattered utility outages also occurred. The city of Cedar Rapids estimated the cost of snow removal for this one event to range from thirty to fourty thousand dollars.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
21 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Delaware
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Delaware forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Dubuque
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dubuque forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.469, -90.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Benton
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.080, -92.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Linn
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Linn forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.079, -91.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jones
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jones forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.121, -91.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jackson
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.172, -90.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Iowa
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Iowa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.686, -92.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Johnson
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.672, -91.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Cedar
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cedar forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.772, -91.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Clinton
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clinton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.898, -90.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Muscatine
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Muscatine forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.484, -91.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Scott
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Scott forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.637, -90.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Keokuk
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Keokuk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.337, -92.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Washington
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.336, -91.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Louisa
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Louisa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.219, -91.260 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jefferson
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.032, -91.949 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Henry
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Henry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.988, -91.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Des Moines
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Des Moines forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.923, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Van Buren
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Van Buren forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.753, -91.950 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Lee
- When
- February 3, 8:00 PM CST to February 4, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.642, -91.479 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood in California, February 3, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Tennessee, February 3, 1997
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Illinois, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, February 3 to 4, 1997
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 3 to 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, February 3 to 4, 1997
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, February 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: 5589057, 5589058, 5589059, 5589060, 5589061, 5589062, 5589063, 5589064, 5589065, 5589066, 5589067, 5589068, 5589069, 5589070, 5589071, 5589235, 5589236, 5589237, 5589238, 5589239, 5589240.