Ice Storm, Perry
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.707, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in Missouri, January 15, 1997
An ice storm coated surfaces with up to an inch of ice. The worst icing was around Dexter and Bloomfield, where an inch of ice was reported.
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
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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 PAH wrote it up.
An ice storm coated surfaces with up to an inch of ice. The worst icing was around Dexter and Bloomfield, where an inch of ice was reported. Elsewhere across southeast Missouri, around a half inch of ice accumulated. Slightly warmer temperatures in New Madrid and Mississippi Counties limited ice accumulations to a quarter inch or less. In regions of heavier icing, scattered power outages resulted from tree limbs falling on power lines. About 3,000 customers near Fruitland lost power. A communications tower in Cape Girardeau was snapped by the ice and wind. Parts of southeast Missouri were nearly paralyzed. Schools, businesses, and courthouses shut down. So many accidents occurred that the wait for a wrecker was as long as 4 hours. Cape Girardeau police suspended road patrols due to extremely slippery roads. Chains were placed on the tires of emergency vehicles. Local hospitals reported over 120 weather-related injuries, especially slip-and-fall injuries and auto accidents.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Bollinger
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Bollinger forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.322, -90.026 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Cape Girardeau
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cape Girardeau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.384, -89.684 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Wayne
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wayne forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.113, -90.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Carter
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Carter forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.941, -90.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Ripley
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ripley forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.653, -90.864 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Butler
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Butler forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.716, -90.407 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Stoddard
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stoddard forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.856, -89.944 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Scott
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Scott forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.053, -89.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Mississippi
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mississippi forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.828, -89.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, New Madrid
- When
- January 15, 1:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- New Madrid forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.595, -89.652 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Ice Storm
- Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
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 Missouri in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5585427, 5585428, 5585429, 5585430, 5585431, 5585432, 5585433, 5585434, 5585435, 5585436, 5585437.