Iowa, 2001

Winter Storm in Iowa, January 29 to 30, 2001

January 29 to 30, 2001 · NWS FSD · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Freezing rain produced ice storm conditions in some areas, with scattered reports of tree and power line damage. The freezing rain was followed by 2 to 5 inches of snow, along with strong winds producing areas of blowing and drifting snow.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 FSD wrote it up.

Freezing rain produced ice storm conditions in some areas, with scattered reports of tree and power line damage. The freezing rain was followed by 2 to 5 inches of snow, along with strong winds producing areas of blowing and drifting snow. Travel was difficult, and many schools and businesses closed.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 29, 9:35 AM CST, 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 29, 9:35 AM CST, 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
935 AM CST MON JAN 29 2001

SNW IS DCRSG RPDLY FM E TO W OVR CWA MOST AREAS WILL ONLY SEE AN
INCH OR LESS ADTNL ACMLTN...EXCPT IN WRN AREAS WHERE WILL KEEP 1 TO
3 ACMLTN THRU THIS AFTN. WIL DROP ALL HEADLINES IN SW MN. BIG THING
OVR SE SD WILL BE STG WNDS AND BLWG SNW. WILL KP BLIZZARD WRNG GOING
THRU EVE IN WRN AREA WITH MORE SNW AND STRNG WNDS. WHITE OUT CNDTNS
ALRDY REPORTD IN OPEN AREAS THERE. I-90 CLOSE FM FSD TO 9V9. WILL GO
BLWG SNW ADVY FM JAMES RVR E OVR MOST OF SE SD.

.FSD...BLZRD WRNG WARNING THRU THIS EVE    JAMES RVR VALLEY W TO
                                           MO RVR.
       BLWG SNW ADVSY THRU THIS EVE        JAMES RVR VALLEY E TO
                                           SD STATE LINE.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Buena Vista

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Buena Vista forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.736, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cherokee

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Cherokee forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.736, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clay

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.083, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dickinson

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Dickinson forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.378, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ida

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Ida forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.387, -95.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lyon

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.381, -96.210 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, O'Brien

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
O'Brien forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Osceola

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Osceola forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.379, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Plymouth

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Plymouth forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sioux

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Sioux forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.083, -96.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Woodbury

When
January 29, 10:00 AM CST to January 30, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Woodbury forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.390, -96.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, January 2001

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: 5229804, 5229805, 5229806, 5229807, 5229808, 5229809, 5229810, 5229811, 5229812, 5229813, 5229814.