Winter Storm, Buchanan
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Buchanan forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Iowa, January 15 to 17, 1997
A winter storm hit the area just before the beginning of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
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 winter storm hit the area just before the beginning of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. This meant that many schools and other businesses were closed for six days. Strong winds and sub-zero temperatures accompanied three to seven inches of snow with the storm of January 15 and 16. Schools were closed due to icy roads and snowfall on the 15th and due to considerable blowing and drifting on the 16th and 17th. Winds averaged 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 45 and temperatures were below zero through much of the weekend. This produced dangerous windchill temperatures.
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
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Delaware forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Dubuque
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dubuque forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.469, -90.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Benton
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.080, -92.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Linn
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Linn forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.079, -91.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jones
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jones forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.121, -91.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jackson
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.172, -90.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Iowa
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Iowa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.686, -92.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Johnson
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.672, -91.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Cedar
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cedar forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.772, -91.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Clinton
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clinton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.898, -90.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Muscatine
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Muscatine forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.484, -91.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Scott
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Scott forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.637, -90.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Keokuk
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Keokuk forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.337, -92.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Washington
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.336, -91.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Louisa
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Louisa forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.219, -91.260 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Jefferson
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.032, -91.949 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Henry
- When
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 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
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 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
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 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
- January 15, 4:00 AM CST to January 17, 8:00 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
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 18, 1997
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Cold in South Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 15 to 17, 1997
- Cold in Iowa, January 15 to 16, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Mississippi, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 15, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, January 15 to 16, 1997
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, January 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: 5589791, 5589792, 5589793, 5589794, 5589795, 5589796, 5589797, 5589798, 5589799, 5589800, 5589801, 5589802, 5589803, 5589804, 5589805, 5589806, 5589807, 5589808, 5589809, 5589810, 5589811.