Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 21, 2007

Name: Heavy Snow in Iowa, January 21, 2007
Start: 2007-01-21T02:00
End: 2007-01-21T14:00
Location: Iowa

January 21, 2007 · NWS ARX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A winter storm moved from Oklahoma to Illinois, producing snow accumulations of 6 to 8 inches across parts of northeast Iowa. 0 inches at both Dorchester and near Waukon (Allamakee County).

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: None recorded
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 ARX wrote it up.

A winter storm moved from Oklahoma to Illinois, producing snow accumulations of 6 to 8 inches across parts of northeast Iowa. Highest totals reported were 7.2 inches at Calmar (Winneshiek County) and 7.0 inches at both Dorchester and near Waukon (Allamakee County).

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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 20, 8:41 PM CST, 5 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 20, 8:41 PM CST, 5 hours 19 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 20, 3:11 PM CST, 10 hours 49 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
311 PM CST SAT JAN 20 2007

MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034-041>044-053-211200-
ADAMS-BUFFALO-CLARK-DODGE-FILLMORE-HOUSTON-JACKSON-JUNEAU-LA CROSSE-
MONROE-MOWER-OLMSTED-TAYLOR-TREMPEALEAU-VERNON-WABASHA-WINONA-
311 PM CST SAT JAN 20 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS
INTO WESTERN IOWA BY SUNRISE. SNOW WILL EXPAND NORTHEAST AHEAD OF
THIS SYSTEM...EVENTUALLY MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND
SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. UP TO A HALF INCH OF
SNOWFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE BY SUNRISE ON SUNDAY...MAINLY SOUTHWEST OF
A LINE FROM ROCHESTER THROUGH LA CROSSE AND VIROQUA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THE LOW PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS NORTHERN
ILLINOIS ON SUNDAY. AS IT DOES...SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL
ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS THROUGH SUNDAY WILL RANGE FROM AROUND AN INCH ALONG AND NORTH
OF INTERSTATE 94...TO NEAR 3 INCHES FURTHER SOUTHWEST ALONG A LINE
FROM DODGE CENTER AND CALEDONIA...TO VIROQUA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. HOWEVER...WEB INSTANT
MESSAGES OR PHONE CALL REPORTS OF SNOW ACCUMULATIONS INTO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

NO CALL IS SCHEDULED.

IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-WIZ054-055-061-211200-
ALLAMAKEE-CHICKASAW-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-FAYETTE-FLOYD-GRANT-HOWARD-
MITCHELL-RICHLAND-WINNESHIEK-
311 PM CST SAT JAN 20 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA AND
FAR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS
INTO WESTERN IOWA BY SUNRISE. SNOW WILL EXPAND NORTHEAST AHEAD OF
THIS SYSTEM...EVENTUALLY MOVING INTO NORTHEAST IOWA SOON AFTER
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS BY DAYBREAK WILL RANGE FROM A
HALF INCH TO AN INCH TO AS MUCH AS AN INCH AND A HALF OR SO
SOUTHWEST OF A LINE FROM OSAGE TO WEST UNION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THE LOW PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS NORTHERN
ILLINOIS ON SUNDAY. AS IT DOES...SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL
ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS THROUGH SUNDAY WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 4 INCHES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. HOWEVER...WEB INSTANT
MESSAGES OR PHONE CALL REPORTS OF SNOW ACCUMULATIONS INTO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

NO CALL IS SCHEDULED.

DAS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Floyd

When: January 21, 2:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Floyd forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.060, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Fayette

When: January 21, 2:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 42.863, -91.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Clayton

When: January 21, 2:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Clayton forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 42.845, -91.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Allamakee

When: January 21, 3:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Allamakee forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.284, -91.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Winneshiek

When: January 21, 3:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Winneshiek forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.291, -91.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Chickasaw

When: January 21, 3:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Chickasaw forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 43.060, -92.318 (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: 7607, 7611, 10416, 7604, 7605, 7609.