Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 20 to 21, 1998

Name: Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 20 to 21, 1998
Start: 1998-01-20T18:00
End: 1998-01-21T03:00
Location: Iowa

January 20 to 21, 1998 · NWS DMX · 23 events in 23 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 23 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: $230,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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 DMX wrote it up.

A very powerful storm system moved into the Rockies on the 19th and advanced into the Plains during the afternoon of the 20th. Though the moisture was limited with the system, strong dynamics made up for the lack in moisture. The surface low moved east-northeast across Missouri, while the upper level system moved directly over Iowa. The precipitation initially started as a mix of light snow and freezing drizzle. Some ice pellets were mixed with the precipitation as well. As the evening progressed and deeper moisture finally reached the system, intensity picked up. By the late evening hours convective bands of heavy snow had developed with visibilities reduced to under one quarter mile in heavy snow over a large part of the state. There were reports of "thundersnow" over the central counties of the state. The heaviest snow fell over the west central into the central counties. Amounts of 5 to 7 inches were common with several reports of 7 to 8 inches. The heaviest official report came in from Toledo in Tama County, where 8.1 inches of snow was measured. Thunderstorms produced a small area of very heavy snow over Calhoun County. Twelve inches of snow was recorded in the city of Manson and thunderstorms with heavy snow pelted the area. To the southwest of Manson, the town of Manning in Carroll County received about 8 inches of snow. This was on the southwest edge of one of the stronger convective snow bands. Travel was disrupted by the snow as roads became very icy. Numerous accidents were reported and most events were cancelled for the evening of the 20th and many schools closed or opened late on the morning of the 21st. Winds during the storm were easterly at 15 to 30 MPH. This caused considerable drifting of snow, but blowing was limited. Spotty damage was reported as the snow was fairly heavy by Iowa standards with a ratio of nearly 10 to 1.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

23 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Pocahontas

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Pocahontas forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Adair

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Adair forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.331, -94.471 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Audubon

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Audubon forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.685, -94.906 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Boone

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.037, -93.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Calhoun

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Calhoun forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.385, -94.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Carroll

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Carroll forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.036, -94.861 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cass

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.332, -94.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Crawford

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.037, -95.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dallas

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Dallas forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.685, -94.040 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Greene

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Greene forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.036, -94.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Grundy

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Grundy forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.402, -92.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Guthrie

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Guthrie forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.684, -94.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hamilton

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hardin

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jasper

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Jasper forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.686, -93.054 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Madison

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.331, -94.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Marshall

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.036, -92.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Polk

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.686, -93.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Poweshiek

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Poweshiek forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 41.686, -92.531 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sac

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Sac forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.386, -95.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Story

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Story forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.036, -93.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Tama

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Tama forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Webster

When: January 20, 6:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Webster forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.428, -94.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, January 1998

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5629265, 5629266, 5629267, 5629268, 5629269, 5629270, 5629271, 5629272, 5629273, 5629274, 5629275, 5629276, 5629277, 5629278, 5629279, 5629280, 5629281, 5629282, 5629283, 5629284, 5629285, 5629286, 5629287.