Heavy Snow, Buchanan
- When
- December 5, 8:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
- Where
- Buchanan forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 39.660, -94.806 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Missouri, December 5, 1999
Rain changed over to heavy snow in parts of northwest Missouri early on the morning of December 5th. Snow began around 3 am in the St.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
- 6
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 EAX wrote it up.
Rain changed over to heavy snow in parts of northwest Missouri early on the morning of December 5th. Snow began around 3 am in the St. Joseph area, and spread northeastward during the next few hours. By 8 am, St. Joseph and Bethany reported snow depths of 6 inches or more. Storm totals of 6 to 11 inches were reported in a narrow band running from the St. Joseph area to just east of Princeton in Mercer County. Law enforcement agencies reported traffic accident rates 4 times the typical Sunday morning rate.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, De Kalb
- When
- December 5, 8:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- De Kalb forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.893, -94.405 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Harrison
- When
- December 5, 8:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Harrison forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 40.355, -93.992 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Mercer
- When
- December 5, 8:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mercer forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.422, -93.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Grundy
- When
- December 5, 8:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
- Where
- Grundy forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 40.114, -93.565 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Daviess
- When
- December 5, 8:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Daviess forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 39.961, -93.985 (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
More
Every storm in Missouri in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, December 1999
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: 5721531, 5721532, 5721533, 5721534, 5721535, 5721536.