Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 20 to 21, 2007

Name: Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 20 to 21, 2007
Start: 2007-01-20T17:00
End: 2007-01-21T12:00
Location: Iowa

January 20 to 21, 2007 · NWS DMX · 36 events in 36 counties and zones

S. from the southwestern states during the night of the 20th into the morning of the 21st.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 36 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: 36

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.

A strong upper level low pressure area moved into the central U.S. from the southwestern states during the night of the 20th into the morning of the 21st. The system came out as a closed upper low, which passed over Iowa. Surface low pressure developed over the Texas Panhandle and moved northeast across Kansas, and into west central Illinois by the afternoon of the 21st. Strong theta-e advection spread into the state during the evening of the 20th, and worked slowly north with the negative tilt trough ahead of the upper low through the night into early on the 21st. Snow fell at a steady rate with the heaviest snow falling at the rate of one half to one inch per hour at times. The storm produced little in the way of wind, but did cause travel problems in that the roads became snow packed. Snowfall from the system was quite uniform in the 6 to 7 inch range with a few higher reports. The greatest report received was 7.8 inches in Bremer County at Tripoli, and also in Cerro Gordo County at Clear Lake.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

36 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Adair

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Adair forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.331, -94.471 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Audubon

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Audubon forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.685, -94.906 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Guthrie

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Guthrie forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.684, -94.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Jasper

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Jasper forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.686, -93.054 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cass

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.332, -94.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Adams

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Adams forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.029, -94.699 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Union

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.028, -94.242 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Clarke

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Clarke forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.029, -93.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Taylor

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Taylor forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.737, -94.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ringgold

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Ringgold forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.735, -94.244 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Decatur

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Decatur forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.738, -93.786 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wayne

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.740, -93.327 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wapello

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Wapello forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.031, -92.409 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Appanoose

When: January 20, 5:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Appanoose forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.743, -92.869 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Worth

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Worth forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.377, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hancock

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Hancock forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cerro Gordo

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Cerro Gordo forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 43.082, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Pocahontas

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Pocahontas forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Humboldt

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Humboldt forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.777, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wright

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Wright forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.733, -93.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Franklin

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.733, -93.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Butler

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Butler forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.732, -92.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bremer

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Bremer forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.775, -92.318 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sac

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Sac forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.386, -95.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Calhoun

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.385, -94.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Webster

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Webster forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.428, -94.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hamilton

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Hardin

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.384, -93.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Grundy

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Grundy forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.402, -92.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Crawford

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Crawford forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.037, -95.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Carroll

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Carroll forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.036, -94.861 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Greene

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Greene forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.036, -94.397 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Boone

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Boone forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.037, -93.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Story

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Story forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.036, -93.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Marshall

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 11:00 AM CST
Where: Marshall forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.036, -92.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Tama

When: January 20, 11:00 PM CST to January 21, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Tama forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, January 2007

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 4941, 4942, 4943, 4944, 4945, 4946, 4947, 4948, 4949, 4950, 4951, 4952, 4975, 5121, 4953, 4954, 4955, 4956, 4957, 4958, 4959, 4960, 4961, 4962, 4963, 4964, 4965, 4966, 4967, 4968, 4969, 4970, 4971, 4972, 4973, 5123.