Cold in Iowa, January 17 to 19, 1997

Name: Cold in Iowa, January 17 to 19, 1997
Start: 1997-01-17T04:00
End: 1997-01-19T10:00
Location: Iowa

January 17 to 19, 1997 · NWS DVN · 21 events in 21 counties and zones

Extreme windchill followed the winter storm of the 15th through the 17th. Temperatures ranged in the single digits, above and below zero, combined with winds which ranged from 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 45 mph.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

21 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Buchanan

When: January 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Buchanan forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Delaware

When: January 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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 17, 4:00 AM CST to January 19, 10:00 AM 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

Every storm in Iowa in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5590014, 5590015, 5590016, 5590017, 5590018, 5590019, 5590020, 5590021, 5590022, 5590023, 5590024, 5590025, 5590026, 5590027, 5590028, 5590029, 5590030, 5590031, 5590032, 5590033, 5590034.