Blizzard in Iowa, January 21 to 22, 2005

Name: Blizzard in Iowa, January 21 to 22, 2005
Start: 2005-01-21T23:15
End: 2005-01-22T11:00
Location: Iowa

January 21 to 22, 2005 · NWS DMX · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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: $60,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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.

Low pressure dropped southeast out of the Canadian Prairie Provinces and into the lower Great Lakes. The low itself was not all that deep, about 1005 mb, however there was very strong dynamics associated with it. At 500 mb, a strong short wave dived southeast into the central U.S. on a 110 kt jet. As the low passed and a 1044 mb Arctic high pressure area built into the area, strong winds overspread Iowa from the west. Sustained winds of 40 to 45 MPH were common in the blizzard area, with gusts in the 55 to 65 MPH range. The winds caused considerable blowing and drifting snow with visibilities reduced to near zero in open areas. Travel was not recommended throughout northeast Iowa. Snowfall was not all that great with new snow accumulations under 3 inches for the most part. A narrow area of the CWA received 3 to 5 inches with 5.1 inches reported at Northwood, 5 inches at Iowa Falls, and 2.5 to 4 inches in the Mason City area. The existing snow on the ground was glaciated, thus was not available to blow around. Southwest of the snow area...freezing drizzle coated roads, trees, and power lines over central and southwest Iowa. There were scattered power outages due to fallen limbs, but little significant damage. Traffic accidents were too numerous to mention due to near freezing temperatures allowing the initial snow to melt somewhat before the Arctic cold swept in.

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 21, 9:11 PM CST, 2 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 9:11 PM CST, 2 hours 4 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
911 PM CST FRI JAN 21 2005

.DISCUSSION...
QUITE THE JUMBLED HEADLINE MESS THIS EVE WITH MOD FZRG
DRZL...BLIZZARD AND HIGH WIND WRNSG ALL CONSIDERED AT ONCE.  CURRENT
SITUATION HAS THREE SHRT WVS AFFECTING OR SOON TO AFFECT IA.  FIRST
INVOF QUAD CITIES WITH SECOND JUST ENTERING SIOUXLAND AREA AND
NEBRASKA.  THIRD AND FINAL KICKER CRASHING SWD FM CANADA INTO MN.
WL NOT MEET WRNG CRITERIA DUE TO SNW AMTS AS UVM AHD OF MIDDLE SHRT
WV SHOULD EXIT NERN FA TWRD 06Z.  6 COUNTIES IN NERN FA SEEM TO HAVE
RCVD FM 1-3 INCHES OF SNW WITH A BIT MORE ON THE WAY HWVR.  02Z SFC
ANLYS SHOWS WEAK LOW OVR MN WITH DVLPG WRMFNT INTO ERN IA.  TROF
NOTED FM LOW ACRS EXTRM NWRN IA INTO ERN NE AND IS PRODUCING INITIAL
SURGE OF GUSTY WRNG CRITERIA WNDS.  TRUE CDFNT JUST BHD FM WRN MN
ACRS FAR ERN AND SRN SD.  IMPRESSIVE ISALLOBARIC COUPLET NOTED BTWN
8+MB RISES OVR SD AND 4+ MN FALLS OVR NRN IL.  THE LATEST RUC DOES
WEAKEN THIS ISALLOBARIC WND COMPONENT SOMEWHAT AS IT APCHS FA
OVNGT...POSSIBLY DUE TO APCH OF NRN MN SHRT WV...BUT CANNOT IGNORE
RECENT SUX 49KT GUST.

WITH THIS IN MIND FEEL BLIZZARD WRNG AND HIGH WIND WRNG CRITERIA WL
OCCUR ACRS PTNS OF FA AND AM IN THE PROCESS OF RE-WORKING HEADLINES
TO FIT THIS SCENARIO.  TO ACCT FOR CURRENT FRZG DRZL WL EXPAND
CURRENT WINTER WX ADVY FA WIDE...XPC 7 COUNTIES LEFT OUT
INITIALLY...TIL MIDNIGHT.  THEN MIDNIGHT TO NOON AM GOING BLIZZARD
WRNG 6 COUNTIES IN FAR NERN FA AND HIGH WIND WRNG MIDNIGHT TO NOON
ELSEWHERE.  HIGH WIND MAY OCCUR BEFORE WRNG TAKES EFFECT FAR NW AND
WILL BE DELAYED SVRL HRS SERN PTNS...BUT HEADLINES ARE ALREADY
CONFUSING ENOUGH.  THANKS TO LCL MEDIA FOR COORDINATION ON THIS.
COMPLICATED WSW/NPWS ISSUANCE AND CANCELATIONS WL BE OUT AS SOON AS
TIME PERMITS.  PLEASE CALL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS TIL THAT TIME.

NO OTHER CHGS TO FCST.

&&

.DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
THRU MIDNIGHT......WINTER WX ADVY ENTIRE FA OUTSIDE OF FAR W CNTRL
                   AND SW COUNTIES.
MIDNIGHT TO NOON...BLIZZARD WRNG WINNEBAGO/WORTH/HANCOCK/
                    CERRO GORDO/BUTLER/BREMER
                   HIGH WND WRNG RMNDR OF FA

&&

SMALL

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 21, 6:42 AM CST, 16 hours 33 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
642 AM CST FRI JAN 21 2005

IAZ004>007-015>017-024>028-036>039-221200-
BLACK HAWK-BREMER-BUTLER-CERRO GORDO-EMMET-FRANKLIN-GRUNDY-HAMILTON-
HANCOCK-HARDIN-HUMBOLDT-KOSSUTH-PALO ALTO-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-WRIGHT-
642 AM CST FRI JAN 21 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN
AND NORTHEAST IOWA...NORTH OF A LINE FROM EMMETSBURG...TO WEBSTER
CITY...TO WATERLOO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

AREAS OF SNOW WILL DEVELOP BY AFTERNOON OVER NORTHEAST IOWA. THE
SNOW WILL BECOME MODERATE TO BRIEFLY HEAVY AT TIMES LATE THIS
AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...THERE COULD BE PERIODS OF SLEET MIXED
WITH THE SNOW. THE SNOW WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING
HOURS WITH LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES CONTINUING OVERNIGHT. TOTAL
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 4 TO 7 INCHES. AFTER MIDNIGHT
NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 50 TO 55
MPH. THIS WILL CREATE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH
REDUCED VISIBILITIES. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY LATE
TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MID AFTERNOON
SATURDAY. BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES ARE
EXPECTED. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY. WIND CHILLS WILL
DROP FROM 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO. THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH BY EARLY
SATURDAY EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AND VISIBILITY
ESTIMATES THROUGH THE E SPOTTER SYSTEM OR BY PHONE.

IAZ023-033>035-045>050-058>062-073>075-221200-
BOONE-CALHOUN-CARROLL-DALLAS-GREENE-GUTHRIE-JASPER-MAHASKA-MARION-
MARSHALL-POCAHONTAS-POLK-POWESHIEK-SAC-STORY-TAMA-WARREN-WEBSTER-
642 AM CST FRI JAN 21 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST...CENTRAL
AND EAST CENTRAL IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

PATCHY AREAS OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL OCCUR THIS MOORING. BY
MIDDAY...AREAS OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND LIGHT SNOW WILL
DEVELOP AND MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS
ARE EXPECTED INTO EARLY EVENING. THE PRECIPITATION WILL THEN CHANGE
TO ALL SNOW DURING THE EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING AROUND MIDNIGHT.
TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE TO FOUR INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. AFTER
MIDNIGHT NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OF
50 TO 55 MPH. THIS WILL CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW
WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES. HIGHER SNOWFALL TOTALS AND MORE
BLOWING SNOW WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES WILL OCCUR ALONG A LINE
FROM POCAHONTAS TO FORT DODGE TO MARSHALLTOWN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MID AFTERNOON
SATURDAY. SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES
ARE EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY FROM HIGHWAY 30 TO HIGHWAY 20. WIND CHILLS
WILL DROP FROM 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO. THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH BY EARLY
SATURDAY EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AND VISIBILITY
ESTIMATES THROUGH THE E SPOTTER SYSTEM OR BY PHONE.

IAZ044-057-070>072-081>086-092>097-221200-
ADAIR-ADAMS-APPANOOSE-AUDUBON-CASS-CLARKE-CRAWFORD-DAVIS-DECATUR-
LUCAS-MADISON-MONROE-RINGGOLD-TAYLOR-UNION-WAPELLO-WAYNE-
642 AM CST FRI JAN 21 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST
CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

PATCHY AREAS OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE OR LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND
SLEET WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ANY PRECIPITATION
AMOUNTS SHOULD BE QUITE LIGHT. A DUSTING OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE
TONIGHT. AFTER MIDNIGHT NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 30 TO 40 MPH
WITH GUSTS OF 50 TO 55 MPH. THIS WILL CREATE A FEW AREAS OF BLOWING
SNOW WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WITH GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH WILL PERSIST THROUGH
MID AFTERNOON SATURDAY. A FEW AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL OCCUR. THE
WINDS WILL DIMINISH BY EARLY SATURDAY EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AND VISIBILITY
ESTIMATES THROUGH THE E SPOTTER SYSTEM OR BY PHONE.

JAW

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Winnebago

When: January 21, 11:15 PM CST to January 22, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Winnebago forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.378, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hancock

When: January 21, 11:15 PM CST to January 22, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Hancock forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Black Hawk

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Black Hawk forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.470, -92.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Bremer

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Bremer forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.775, -92.318 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Butler

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Butler forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.732, -92.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Cerro Gordo

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.082, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Franklin

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.733, -93.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Grundy

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Grundy forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.402, -92.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Hardin

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Marshall

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.036, -92.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Worth

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Worth forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 43.377, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Tama

When: January 22, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Tama forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, January 2005

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: 5433861, 5433862, 5433851, 5433852, 5433853, 5433854, 5433855, 5433856, 5433857, 5433858, 5433859, 5433860.