Ice Storm in Iowa, January 3, 2005

Name: Ice Storm in Iowa, January 3, 2005
Start: 2005-01-03T06:00
End: 2005-01-03T12:39
Location: Iowa

January 3, 2005 · NWS DVN · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A storm system passing south of the area pulled warm air over a shallow arctic surface layer producing widespread freezing rain. The worst of the ice generally fell between 0600 and 1200 CST.

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: $30,000
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 DVN wrote it up.

A storm system passing south of the area pulled warm air over a shallow arctic surface layer producing widespread freezing rain. The worst of the ice generally fell between 0600 and 1200 CST. Ice accumulations of one quarter inch were common across Eastern Iowa. Many areas in Eastern Iowa and Northern Illinois reported ice accumulations of 0.2 inches. This was the second ice storm to hit the area in 3 days. Very little damage occurred due to the fact that winds did not become overly strong. Law enforcement noted that although there were many accidents, there were not as many as expected.

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 3, 4:45 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 4:45 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 3, 6:00 AM CST, 0 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Iowa

When: January 3, 6:00 AM CST to 11:30 AM CST
Where: Iowa forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.686, -92.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Jefferson

When: January 3, 7:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.032, -91.949 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Keokuk

When: January 3, 7:30 AM CST to 11:30 AM CST
Where: Keokuk forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.337, -92.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Louisa

When: January 3, 8:45 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Louisa forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.219, -91.260 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Scott

When: January 3, 9:30 AM CST to 12:39 PM CST
Where: Scott forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.637, -90.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Clinton

When: January 3, 9:30 AM CST to 12:37 PM CST
Where: Clinton forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 41.898, -90.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Ice Storm: Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5438458, 5438455, 5438457, 5438454, 5438453, 5438456.