Winter Storm in Iowa, March 1, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Iowa, March 1, 2002
Start: 2002-03-01T11:00
End: 2002-03-01T23:00
Location: Iowa

March 1, 2002 · NWS FSD · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Snowfall of four to seven inches was accompanied by winds gusting over 30 mph, producing blowing and drifting snow. Some schools closed early for the day.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 4

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.

Snowfall of four to seven inches was accompanied by winds gusting over 30 mph, producing blowing and drifting snow. Some schools closed early for the day. Travel was greatly slowed, and some roads were closed, including Interstate 29 at Sioux City for 90 minutes.

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

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

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR SOUTHEAST SD/SOUTHWEST MN/NORTHWEST IA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS
955 AM CST FRI MAR 01 2002

NO BIG CHNGS TO FCST AT THIS TIME. NO SNWFL BEING RPRTD YET IN CWA
BUT LWR LAYERS ALONG NE BRDR INTO NW IA ARE BEING TO SATURATE AND
LGT SNW ON OMA RADAR WAS SPRDG ENE. LBF RADAR SHWG BEST SNW IS DVLPG
S OF LBF WHERE COLD AIR PSH IS RUNNING INTO MSTR BEING PSHG UP FM S.
AS SFC LO TO SW MOVES NE SNW SHLD SPRD NE OVR SRN PARTS OF CWA THIS
AFTN AND TNGT. BEST CHC FOR SGFNT SNW WILL BE XTRM SE SD INTO NW IA
WITH ADVSY AND WRNG OK FOR NOW. TEMPS WILL BE SLOW TO RECOVER THIS
AFTN AND WILL STAY CLOSE TO CRNT FCST.

.FSD...WINTER STORM WARNING THIS AFTN AND TONIGHT FOR
       DAKOTA NEBRASKA...AND WOODBURY...IDA...
       PLYMOUTH...CHEROKEE...BUENA VISTA COUNTIES IN IOWA.

       WINTER WX ADVISORY THIS AFTN AND TONIGHT...FOR DIXON
       NEBRASKA...CLAY AND UNION SD...AND SIOUX...O BRIEN AND
       CLAY IA.

WB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Buena Vista

When: March 1, 11:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM 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: March 1, 11:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM 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, Ida

When: March 1, 11:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM 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, Woodbury

When: March 1, 11:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM 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, 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: 5284901, 5284902, 5284903, 5284983.