Blizzard, Lyon
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.381, -96.210 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Iowa, January 9 to 11, 1997
Strong winds gusting as high as 60 mph combined with loose snow cover and 1 to 3 inches of new snow to produce widespread and prolonged blizzard conditions. Transportation, schools, and commerce were brought to a halt as roads were blocked by drifts as high as 15 feet and zero visibility made travel otherwise impossible.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
- 3
- Property damage
- $80,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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 FSD wrote it up.
Strong winds gusting as high as 60 mph combined with loose snow cover and 1 to 3 inches of new snow to produce widespread and prolonged blizzard conditions. Transportation, schools, and commerce were brought to a halt as roads were blocked by drifts as high as 15 feet and zero visibility made travel otherwise impossible. Wind chills as cold as 70 below zero occurred. There were a few stranded motorists and weather related accidents, with some injuries from falls. The greatest damage was suspected to be long term economic loss from halted transportation and loss of commerce and farm services, and this damage could not be accurately estimated.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Osceola
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Osceola forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.379, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Dickinson
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dickinson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.378, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Sioux
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Sioux forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.083, -96.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, O'Brien
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- O'Brien forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Clay
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 43.083, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Plymouth
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Cherokee
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Cherokee forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.736, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Buena Vista
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Buena Vista forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.736, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Woodbury
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Woodbury forecast zone
- Injuries
- 3 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 42.390, -96.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Ida
- When
- January 9, 9:00 AM CST to January 11, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Ida forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.387, -95.513 (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
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 9 to 11, 1997
- Blizzard in South Dakota, January 9 to 10, 1997
- Winter Weather in New York, January 9, 1997
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 9 to 10, 1997
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 9 to 10, 1997
- Cold in Ohio, January 9, 1997
- Blizzard in South Dakota, January 9 to 11, 1997
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, January 9, 1997
- Winter Storm in Vermont, January 9 to 10, 1997
- Ice Storm in South Carolina, January 9, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, January 9, 1997
- Blizzard in Iowa, January 9 to 10, 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: 5588015, 5588016, 5588017, 5588018, 5588019, 5588020, 5588021, 5588022, 5588023, 5588024, 5588025.