Ice Storm in Iowa, March 17, 1998

Following the heavy snow from about 10 days earlier, Arctic air held its grip on Iowa for much of the week or so following. With the shallow Arctic air in place, the stage was set for an ice storm. Sub freezing temperatures were in place over Iowa during the early morning hours of the 17th as winds became southerly aloft in advance of an approaching upper level low pressure area. Light freezing rain began to fall over southern Iowa shortly after midnight and spread north quickly. Amounts were not all that excessive, with most areas picking up about one tenth inch of ice across the south third of the state by sunrise on the 17th. Amounts over the central and north were light at this point. Heavier freezing rain spread into the north two thirds of the state during the early morning of the 17th. By noon, the temperatures warmed above freezing over the southern part of the state, while the freezing rain continued to fall over the north and parts of the central counties. By mid afternoon, temperatures over the central and north parts of the state had warmed to near to a little above freezing. Even though readings were below freezing over the north, the strong March sun was able to warm roads and trees to the point that icing was no longer a problem. The total accumulation of ice over the central and north was generally under one quarter inch. Travel was difficult over Iowa for a period of time. Many school districts cancelled classes for the day due to the ice. There was little damage however as there was little wind and the ice accumulation was not great enough to overload trees and power lines. There were some spotty power outages, but nothing widespread.