Winter Storm in Iowa, February 9 to 10, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Iowa, February 9 to 10, 2002
Start: 2002-02-09T12:00
End: 2002-02-10T02:00
Location: Iowa

February 9 to 10, 2002 · NWS FSD · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Snowfall of 3 to 6 inches was accompanied by winds gusting to 45 mph. This produced near blizzard conditions in open areas, making travel impossible at times due to drifting and near zero visibilities.

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.

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 Feb 9, 10:55 AM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 10:55 AM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS
1055 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2002

NOT MANY CHANGES TO GOING FORECAST...MAINLY JUST TWEAKING SNOW
AMOUNTS HERE AND THERE.

DECENT SNOW BAND CURRENTLY EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL MN...THRU NERN TO
SWRN SD.  SECOND BAND OF 88D ECHOES STREATCHES ACROSS NWRN IA INTO
SOUTH CENTRAL NE...BUT MUCH OF THE NORTHERN END OF THIS DOES NOT
HAVE GROUND TRUTH TO SUPPORT...INDICATING THIS MOISTURE IS STILL
MOSTLY ALOFT.

12Z MODELS CONSISTENT IN SHOWING BEST DYNAMIC SUPPORT FOR SNOWFALL
ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST CWA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS
AFOREMENTIONED PRECIP BANDS CONVERGE OVER THE AREA.  APPEARS HIGHEST
SNOWFALL TOTALS SHOULD COVER THE AREA SOUTHEAST OF THE KYKN...KFSD
AND KMWM AREAS...AND HAVE BUMPED UP TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS FOR MUCH OF
NWRN IA TO 4-7 INCH RANGE.  MOST AREAS OF CWA WILL REMAIN BELOW 6
INCH LEVEL...BUT EXPECTED STRONG WINDS COMBINING WITH THE SNOWFALL
WARRANT KEEPING CURRENT WARNINGS GOING.  AT THIS TIME NOT LOOKING
FOR WINDS TO BE QUITE STRONG ENOUGH DURING HEAVIEST SNOWFALL TO
REACH BLIZZARD CRITERIA...BUT WILL DEFINITELY HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE
ON THIS THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON.

.FSD...WNTR STORM WRNG  LATE MRNG THRU EARLY EVE JAMES RIVER WEST
       WNTR STORM WRNG  AFTN THRU EVE  SERN SD TO FAR SWRN MN
       WNTR STORM WRNG  LATE AFTN THRU TNGT RMDR SWRN MN TO NWRN IA

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, Lyon

When: February 9, 12:00 PM CST to February 10, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Lyon forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.381, -96.210 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Buena Vista

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Buena Vista forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.736, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cherokee

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Cherokee forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.736, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Clay

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.083, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Dickinson

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Dickinson forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.378, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ida

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Ida forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.387, -95.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, O'Brien

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: O'Brien forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Osceola

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Osceola forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.379, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Plymouth

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Plymouth forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sioux

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Sioux forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.083, -96.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Woodbury

When: February 9, 2:00 PM CST to February 10, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Woodbury forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
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

Every storm in Iowa in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, February 2002

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: 5283776, 5283771, 5283772, 5283773, 5283774, 5283775, 5283777, 5283778, 5283779, 5283780, 5283781.