For the 3rd consecutive night wind chill values plunged to 20 below zero or over sections of western Iowa. These cold wind chills were caused by arctic high pressure that remained entrenched over the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS OAX wrote it up.
For the 3rd consecutive night wind chill values plunged to 20 below zero or over sections of western Iowa. These cold wind chills were caused by arctic high pressure that remained entrenched over the region. Morning lows fell to around 10 below to 15 below and although they moderated a bit when northwest winds increased to around 10 mph...the wind chill fell to 20 below to 25 below zero for several hours around sunrise.
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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 4, 4:05 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 405 AM CST SUN FEB 4 2007 FORECAST BECOMES MORE CHALLENGING DURING THE PERIOD AS UPPER LEVEL FLOW STARTS TO DEAMPLIFY ACROSS THE CONUS. WILL CONTINUE WITH CURRENT WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR PART OF THE AREA THIS MORNING. ALTHOUGH WINDS HAVE BEEN LIGHT FOR THE MOST PART SOME INCREASE INDICATED BY MODELS THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN FACTOR THROUGH THE SHORT TERM AS CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEM DROPS INTO THE PLAINS REGION MONDAY NIGHT WITH FASTER GFS FOLLOWED FOR THIS FORECAST. CLOUDS ON THE INCREASE IN ADVANCE OF THIS SYSTEM THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT WITH MODERATING TEMPERATURES THE RESULT. STARTED TO BRING TEMPERATURES UP A BIT BUT DEPENDING ON TIMING SOME ADJUSTMENT LIKELY FOR TONIGHT PERIOD. AS SURFACE LOW APPROACHES ON MONDAY NIGHT GOOD 850 MB WARMING INDICATED BY MODELS WITH FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOWING SOME POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING PRECIP ALTHOUGH SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GFS AND NAM REGARDING DEGREE OF SATURATION. NEVERTHELESS...HAVE INTRODUCED SOME MENTION OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN FOR SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA DURING THIS TIME BASED ON THE GFS. NEXT ROUND OF COLD AIR COMES IN BEHIND THIS SYSTEM TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT ALTHOUGH AIR MASS NOT AS COLD AND MORE CLOUD COVER EXPECTED. HAVE TRENDED TEMPERATURES TOWARD THE COOLER MAV GUIDANCE IN THE SHORT TERM. NO CHANGE IN THE EXTENDED AT THIS TIME BUT TREND STILL POINTS TOWARD WARMING TEMPERATURES. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...WIND CHILL ADVISORY THRU 12 PM CST SUNDAY FOR NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-051>053-067. IA...WIND CHILL ADVISORY THRU 12 PM CST SUNDAY FOR IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091. && FOBERT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 500 AM CST SUN FEB 4 2007 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034- 042>045-051>053-067-041800- ANTELOPE-BOONE-BURT-CASS-CEDAR-COLFAX-CUMING-DODGE-DOUGLAS- FREMONT IA-HARRISON IA-KNOX-MADISON-MILLS IA-MONONA IA-MONTGOMERY IA- PAGE IA-PIERCE-PLATTE-POTTAWATTAMIE IA-SARPY-SAUNDERS-SHELBY IA- STANTON-THURSTON-WASHINGTON-WAYNE- 500 AM CST SUN FEB 4 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT VERY COLD TEMPERATURES IN COMBINATION WITH NORTHWEST WINDS AROUND 10 MPH WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES FROM 15 BELOW TO 25 BELOW THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. THE COLD WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM ABOUT COLUMBUS TO WAHOO...WEEPING WATER AND CLARINDA IOWA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. NEZ050-065-066-068-078-088>093-041800- BUTLER-GAGE-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LANCASTER-NEMAHA-OTOE-PAWNEE- RICHARDSON-SALINE-SEWARD- 500 AM CST SUN FEB 4 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT COLD TEMPERATURES IN COMBINATION WITH NORTHWEST WINDS OF UP TO 10 MPH WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES FROM 5 BELOW TO 15 BELOW ZERO THROUGH NOON TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. FOBERT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind Chill values fell to 20 below to 25 below zero from around 6 am until 9 am over the area. Temperatures zero to 5 below and a northwest wind around 10 mph were responsible for these dangerously cold wind chills.
Wind Chill values fell to 20 below to 25 below zero from around 6 am until 8 am over the area. Temperatures zero to 5 below and a northwest wind around 10 mph were responsible for these dangerously cold wind chills.
Wind Chill values fell to 20 below to 25 below zero from around 6 am until 8 am over the area. Temperatures zero to 5 below and a northwest wind around 10 mph were responsible for these dangerously cold wind chills.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, February 2007
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: 7061, 7062, 7063.