Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 31, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-31T09:00
End: 2002-01-31T21:00
Location: Iowa

January 31, 2002 · NWS DMX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Snow spread north across Iowa during the morning of the 31st. The synoptic situation was similar to the previous event, just that the cause was from another upper level system.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: $180,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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.

Snow spread north across Iowa during the morning of the 31st. The synoptic situation was similar to the previous event, just that the cause was from another upper level system. In this case, the entire upper level low pressure system lifted out northeast as a negative tilt trough of low pressure. Snow broke out over nearly all of the state during the day on the 31st. Band of heavy snow developed from west central into north central Iowa. This band broke down by evening. By that time the upper low was moving into Iowa. A deformation pattern developed along the northwest edge of the 850 Mb low pressure circulation. A brief period of very heavy snowfall of one to two inches per hour occurred as the deformation lifted east-northeast across the state. There was a brief period of freezing drizzle and ice pellets just before the snow moved in, but once again, it was not a significant problem. Travel was disrupted and many events were postponed or cancelled for the evening of the 31st. Winds were under 20 MPH, so drifting of snow was not a large problem. Conditions improved rapidly after midnight. The interesting thing about the two events measured was the long term of the events. Snow fell on a large part of Iowa for nearly 48 hours. As far as the public was concerned, it was a major winter event as all but 4 counties in the far northeast part of the Des Moines CWA received at least 6 inches of snow over the course of the two day period.

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, 2:25 PM CST, 18 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 2:25 PM CST, 18 hours 35 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Boone

When: January 31, 9:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.037, -93.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dallas

When: January 31, 9:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Dallas forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.685, -94.040 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Emmet

When: January 31, 9:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Emmet forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.378, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Greene

When: January 31, 9:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Greene forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.036, -94.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Humboldt

When: January 31, 9:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Humboldt forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.777, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Palo Alto

When: January 31, 9:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Palo Alto forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.082, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Pocahontas

When: January 31, 9:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Pocahontas forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Polk

When: January 31, 9:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.686, -93.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Story

When: January 31, 9:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Story forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 42.036, -93.465 (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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5278107, 5278108, 5278109, 5278110, 5278111, 5278112, 5278113, 5278114, 5278115.