Ice Storm, Benton
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.080, -92.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm in Iowa, December 15 to 16, 2000
A potent storm system tracked out of the southern Plains into the mid Mississippi Valley, and brought warm air aloft, which set the stage for a mix of precipitation across the area. Freezing rain and sleet started in far northeast Missouri and west central Illinois around midday, then spread northward across eastern Iowa and western Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 21 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
- 21
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 DVN wrote it up.
A potent storm system tracked out of the southern Plains into the mid Mississippi Valley, and brought warm air aloft, which set the stage for a mix of precipitation across the area. Freezing rain and sleet started in far northeast Missouri and west central Illinois around midday, then spread northward across eastern Iowa and western Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours. The mix of freezing rain, sleet, and some snow continued overnight into the early morning hours of the 16th. Law enforcement, NWS cooperative observers, and spotters reported significant ice accumulations across the entire area, with amounts up to a half inch. The icy roads made for very dangerous driving conditions, and numerous reports of accidents and cars in ditches. Fortunately, area law enforcement did not report any serious accidents, despite the high level of activity.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
21 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice Storm, Buchanan
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Buchanan forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Cedar
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Cedar forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.772, -91.132 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Clinton
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clinton forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.898, -90.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Delaware
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Delaware forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.471, -91.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Des Moines
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Des Moines forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.923, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Dubuque
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dubuque forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.469, -90.882 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Henry
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Henry forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.988, -91.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Iowa
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Iowa forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.686, -92.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Jackson
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.172, -90.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Jefferson
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.032, -91.949 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Johnson
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Johnson forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.672, -91.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Jones
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Jones forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.121, -91.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Keokuk
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Keokuk forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.337, -92.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Lee
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lee forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.642, -91.479 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Linn
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Linn forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.079, -91.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Louisa
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Louisa forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.219, -91.260 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Muscatine
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Muscatine forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.484, -91.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Scott
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Scott forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.637, -90.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Van Buren
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Van Buren forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.753, -91.950 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Ice Storm, Washington
- When
- December 15, 1:00 PM CST to December 16, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 41.336, -91.718 (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
- High Wind in Oregon, December 15, 2000
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 15, 2000
- Storm Surge in Washington, December 15, 2000
- High Wind in Oregon, December 15, 2000
- High Wind in Washington, December 15, 2000
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 15 to 16, 2000
- High Wind in Idaho, December 15, 2000
- Ice Storm in Missouri, December 15, 2000
- Winter Weather in Illinois, December 15, 2000
- Ice Storm in Illinois, December 15 to 16, 2000
- Extreme Cold in Montana, December 15, 2000
- Blizzard in Montana, December 15 to 16, 2000
More
Every storm in Iowa in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, December 2000
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: 5177940, 5177941, 5177942, 5177943, 5177944, 5177945, 5177946, 5177947, 5177948, 5177949, 5177950, 5177951, 5177952, 5178017, 5178018, 5178019, 5178020, 5178021, 5178022, 5178023, 5178024.