Winter Storm in Iowa, March 1 to 2, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Iowa, March 1 to 2, 2002
Start: 2002-03-01T15:00
End: 2002-03-02T16:00
Location: Iowa

March 1 to 2, 2002 · NWS ARX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A winter storm produced snow accumulations of 6 to 8 inches across northeast Iowa. The snow was accompanied by strong north winds of 15 to 25 mph, which caused blowing and drifting.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 6

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 ARX wrote it up.

A winter storm produced snow accumulations of 6 to 8 inches across northeast Iowa. The snow was accompanied by strong north winds of 15 to 25 mph, which caused blowing and drifting.

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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 1, 3:13 AM CST, 11 hours 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 1, 3:13 AM CST, 11 hours 47 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
313 AM CST FRI MAR 1 2002

FORECAST CONCERNS FOR THIS PACKAGE ARE NUMEROUS. FIRST AND FOREMOST
IS IMPENDING WINTER STORM AND THE RESULTANT SNOW TOTALS AND WINDS
BEGINNING TONIGHT AND CONTINUING SATURDAY. THEN TEMPERATURES FOR
THE OUTER PERIODS.

06Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS LOW PRESSURE ACROSS EXTREME EASTERN UPPER
MICHIGAN. ASSOCIATED FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDS SOUTHWESTWARD INTO
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND INTO MISSOURI. INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY
SHOWING VERY FEW CLOUDS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. HIGHER CLOUDS
SEEN STREAMING EASTWARD OUT ACROSS IOWA.

00Z MODELS INITIALIZED WELL. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES ARE NOTED
WITH THE MODELS. AVN A LITTLE FASTER AT PUSHING PRECIPAITION INTO
THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...BUT OTHERWISE ALL IN GOOD AGREEMENT.

AS SHORT WAVE ENERGY DIGS ACROSS THE ROCKIES TODAY...SURFACE
LOW IN COLORADO SHIFTS SOUTH INTO TEXAS. SOUTHERLY LOW
LEVEL FLOW PUSHES MOISTURE NORTHWARD. THIS MOISTURE WILL BE
LIFTED OVER THE FRONT ACROSS ILLINOIS...WITH STRONG ISENTROPIC LIFT
IN THE 285K-295K LAYER...ESPECIALLY ACROSS IOWA INTO ILLINOIS.
STRONG FORCING AS SEEN IN THE QG FIELDS IS MAXIMIZED ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN ZONES TONIGHT. AT THE SAME TIME...130 KNOT UPPER JET
PRODUCES STRONG UPPER DIVERGENCE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA BY 12Z
SATURDAY. COLDER AIR BECOMING DEEPER ACROSS AREA AND
CROSS SECTIONS CONTINUE TO INDICATE PROXIMITY OF THE MINUS 15C AND
MINUS 5C ISOTHERMS SUPPORTING POTENTIAL FOR GOOD DENDRITIC CRYSTAL
GROWTH AND FAVORABLE RATIOS FOR HIGHER SNOW AMOUNTS. WITH THIS IN
MIND WILL HOIST WARNINGS ACROSS THE SOUTH AND EAST FOR 5 TO 9
INCHES AND ADVISORIES JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE WARNING AREA FOR A
GENERAL 3 TO 5 INCH SNOWFALL. AS SYSTEM WRAPS UP WILL LIKELY HAVE
SOME STRONGER WINDS PRODUCING BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW AS
WELL.

MODELS DO SHOW SYSTEM NOT QUITE AS FAST AS PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. THUS
WILL CONTINUE SNOW INTO SATURDAY...WITH CLEARING SKIES PUSHED BACK
UNTIL SATURDAY NIGHT. 850MB TEMPERATURES PLUMMET IN WAKE OF SYSTEM
ON SUNDAY. HAVE LOWERED SUNDAYS HIGHS QUITE A BIT...AS STRONG COLD
ADVECTION AND SNOW COVER SHOULD PREVENT TEMPERATURES FROM RISING
MUCH.

THANKS FOR COORDINATION WITH KDMX...KDVN...KMKX...KGRB.

.LSE...WINTER STORM WARNING...TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...PORTIONS
       OF NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WI...IAZ029...
       IAZ030...IAZ011...WIZ042...043...044...053...054...055...061.
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY IAZ008...
       009...010...018...019...MNZ 095...096...WIZ041...034

RABERDING

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Clayton

When: March 1, 3:00 PM CST to March 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Clayton forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.845, -91.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Fayette

When: March 1, 3:00 PM CST to March 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.863, -91.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Floyd

When: March 1, 4:00 PM CST to March 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Floyd forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.060, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Allamakee

When: March 1, 5:00 PM CST to March 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Allamakee forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.284, -91.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Howard

When: March 1, 5:00 PM CST to March 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Howard forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.357, -92.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Winneshiek

When: March 1, 5:00 PM CST to March 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Winneshiek forecast zone
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 43.291, -91.844 (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, March 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: 5280602, 5280603, 5280604, 5280601, 5280605, 5280606.