Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 30 to 31, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 30 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-30T06:00
End: 2002-01-31T03:00
Location: Iowa

January 30 to 31, 2002 · NWS DMX · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A strong, but shallow, Arctic cold front slipped south across Iowa during the first part of the week. This front became stationary to the south of Iowa as a southwest flow of air prevailed aloft.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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: $500,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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 DMX wrote it up.

A strong, but shallow, Arctic cold front slipped south across Iowa during the first part of the week. This front became stationary to the south of Iowa as a southwest flow of air prevailed aloft. Over running precipitation actually began during the day on the 29th in the form of very light snow and freezing drizzle. With the approach of a strong upper level system on the morning of the 30th, snow began in earnest. Heavy snow fell through a good part of the day on the 30th before tapering off slowly during the evening hours. Snow totals mounted quickly with several locations reporting a foot of heavy, wet snow. A few of the heavier totals include 13.2 inches at Leon in Decatur County, 13.0 inches in Bloomfield in Davis County, and 12.5 inches in Appanoose County in Centerville. Fortunately it was not extremely cold, nor was it very windy. The heavy snow did cause travel problems and the closure of numerous schools as well as cancellation of many activities. Throughout the storm, periods of light freezing rain and drizzle occurred. The freezing precipitation was not significant and did not cause any problems.

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 Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 30, 3:15 AM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 3:15 AM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
315 AM CST WED JAN 30 2002

MAJOR SNW EVENT LOOKS TO BE IN THE OFFING FOR SERN HLF OF FA.  WATER
VAPOR IMAGERY AND 00Z UPR AIR ANLYS PLACES LG WV TROF FM SRN CA INTO
DAKOTAS WITH 150+KT UPR LVL JET FM SWRN PTNS INTO NRN GTLKS.  SHRT
WV WHICH WILL END UP BEING OUR DEFORMATION ZN NOW ROUNDING BASE OF
TROF JUST OFF CA CST.  MIXED PCPN OCCURRING IN SERN ZN DUE TO WRM
ADVCTN WHICH PROFILERS SHOW QUITE STG FM OK INTO KS AND MO.  HWVR
SLA PROFILER STILL INDCS COLD ADVCTN THRU 6KFT WITH NEUTRAL ABV.
THIS MAKES SENSE WITH 07Z SFC ANLYS PLACING RDG FM NE INTO
ONTARIO...AND WEAK BUT WPSRD PRES RISES ACRS NRN/CNTRL PLAINS.  MSTR
S OF BACLIN ZN OFF THE CHARTS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH 60+ DWPNTS
IN SFC WRM SECTOR AND AOA 10C H85 DWPNTS AT KSGF-KOUN TWRD GULF.
MANY RAOB SITES JUST S OF FA AOA 200 PERCENT OF NML PW WITH KSGF 268
PERCENT

MDLS STILL QUITE SIMILAR WITH TRACK OF MOST FEATURES BUT ETA ARND
6HRS SLOWER.  AM FAVORING ETA HWVR BASED ON BETTER DEPICTION OF
CURRENT WX AND NCEP MDL DISC.  ALSO LIKE SHARP NRLY QPF GRADIENT
WHICH IS USUALLY ASSOCD WITH STG DEFORMATION ZN.

290K SFC AND NET ADIABATIC ISENT OMEGA SEEMS TO DEPICT CURRENT AND
XPCD WX QUITE WELL.  UVM GRDLLY SLIDES NWD THRU FA TDA WITH LOWERING
CONDENSATION PRES DEFICITS.  WEAK/MOD LIFT ENCOMPASSES MUCH OF FA BY
00Z WITH SATURATION OCCURRING TO ABT KDSM.  THIS CONTS THRU
THU...AS DOES UPR LVL DVRGNC IN RIGHT ENTRANCE RGN...WHEN KINEMATIC
FORCING INCRS AS DEFORMATION SPREADS BEST UVM ACRS SERN HALF OF FA.
AMT OF LIFT QUITE DEEP AND IMPRESSIVE WITH FRONTOGENETICAL
FORCING...DEFORMATION AND ISENT LIFT ALL COMING TOGETHER FOR HVY SNW
THU AFTN INTO THU NGT...NOT TO MENTION CONVECTIVE THREAT.  HAVE NOT
HAD TOO MANY APPLICABLE EVENTS...BUT UNIV WI QPV PARAMETER COMBINING
H7/H6 QG FORCING AND INSTABILITY IS HIGHEST I HAVE SEEN IT IN REAL
TIME ACRS FA PLACING CONVECTIVE SNW BAND ON SRN EDGE OF DEFORMATION
ZN AS YOU WOULD XPC IT.  FAVORED LOCATIONS LOOK TO BE SOMEWHERE ALG
KLWD-KCNC-JUST S OF KCID LN 21Z-03Z THU WHICH IS STILL FOLLOWED BY
PLENTY OF QG FORCING WITHOUT CONVECTION.

00Z ETA FCST SOUNDINGS LOOK TO BE DOING QUITE WELL WITH PCPN TYPE
AND CHG SERN PTNS TO ALL SNW BY 12Z LASTING FOR ENTIRE EVENT.  QUICK
LOOK AT 06Z ETA SOUNDINGS INDC FAR SERN FA MAY BRIEFLY BCM MIXED
TNGT THEN BACK TO SNW THU BUT SGFNT THREAT RMNS HVY SNW AND WL NOT
MENTION MIX.  60HR QPF TOTAL ENDING 12Z FRI ANYWHERE FM 0.3 TO 1.33
ACRS SERN HLF OF FA WHICH TRANSLATES INTO 4 TO NR 20 INCHES
CONSIDERING TEMPS...WITH CONVECTION POSSIBLY ADDING MORE.  WL TRY TO
STAY MIDDLE OF ROAD HWVR AS AVN DOES HINT AT WEAKER AND FASTER
DEFORMATION ZN...SO WL START WITH 8-14 INCHES IN AFOREMENTIONED
FAVORED CONVECTION ZN DROPPING TO 4 TO 8 ALG NRN EDGE OF WATCH FM
KOMA-KALO.  GOING ANY HIGHER WOULD LIKELY BE RECORD EVENT AND DO NOT
WANT TO GO THERE JUST YET.  THESE AMTS SHOULD STILL GET PEOPLES
ATTENTION.  THERE WL BE A BUST SOMEWHERE...BUT XPC A VERY SHARP NRN
GRADIENT SO WL MENTION AN INCH OR LESS JUST N OF WATCH AND NIL
WORDING ACRS NWRN QUARTER.  WHERE SNW HAS ALREADY STARTED ALG MO
BORDER WL GO WINTER STORM WRNG TDA THRU THU EVE.  FARTHER N TO
KOMA-KALO LN WL KEEP WINTER STORM WATCH TNGT THRU THU EVE.  MAY SEE
A FEW BREAKS AND POSSIBLY LULL BEFORE DEFORMATION ZN BUT CONFIDENCE
NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO GET TOO TRICKY.

MUCH OF EFFORT SPENT ON PCPN...BUT TEMP GUID LOOKS SIMILAR THRU PD
AND SEEMS TO FIT CURRENT WX SO SEE NO REASON TO DEVIATE MUCH.  NO
FCST CHGS BYD THU NGT.

COORDINATION W/OAX...EAX...ARX AND DVN.

.DSM...WINTER STORM WRNG FAR S AND SERN SXNS TDA THRU THU EVE
       IAZ075-084>086-093>097
       WINTER STORM WATCH SWRN THRU E CNTRL SXNS TNGT THRU THU EVE
       IAZ038-039-047>050-057>062-070>074-081>083-092

SMALL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Appanoose

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Appanoose forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.743, -92.869 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Clarke

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Clarke forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.029, -93.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Davis

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Davis forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.748, -92.410 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Decatur

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Decatur forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.738, -93.786 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lucas

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Lucas forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.029, -93.328 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Mahaska

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Mahaska forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.335, -92.641 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Monroe

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Monroe forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.030, -92.869 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ringgold

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Ringgold forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.735, -94.244 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wapello

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Wapello forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.031, -92.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wayne

When: January 30, 6:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.740, -93.327 (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

Every storm in Iowa in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, January 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: 5278097, 5278098, 5278099, 5278100, 5278101, 5278102, 5278103, 5278104, 5278105, 5278106.