Freezing rain caused icy roads and sidewalks in part of Northwest Iowa during the morning of March 10th. Surfaces remained icy during the afternoon after the precipitation changed to light snow, as temperatures were well below freezing.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 FSD wrote it up.
Freezing rain caused icy roads and sidewalks in part of Northwest Iowa during the morning of March 10th. Surfaces remained icy during the afternoon after the precipitation changed to light snow, as temperatures were well below freezing. Numerous accidents and vehicles sliding into ditches were reported.
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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 9, 8:20 PM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 0446 AM CST MON MAR 09 2009 SDZ038>040-050-052>071-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098- IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-NEZ013-014-101200- AURORA-BEADLE-BON HOMME-BROOKINGS-BRULE-BUENA VISTA IA- CHARLES MIX-CHEROKEE IA-CLAY-CLAY IA-COTTONWOOD MN-DAKOTA NE- DAVISON-DICKINSON IA-DIXON NE-DOUGLAS-GREGORY-HANSON-HUTCHINSON- IDA IA-JACKSON MN-JERAULD-KINGSBURY-LAKE-LINCOLN-LINCOLN MN- LYON IA-LYON MN-MCCOOK-MINER-MINNEHAHA-MOODY-MURRAY MN-NOBLES MN- OBRIEN IA-OSCEOLA IA-PIPESTONE MN-PLYMOUTH IA-ROCK MN-SANBORN- SIOUX IA-TURNER-UNION-WOODBURY IA-YANKTON- 0446 AM CST MON MAR 09 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA... SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST IOWA...AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINTER WEATHER... CHANCES FOR WINTRY WEATHER WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE TONIGHT AS A STRONG STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES. FREEZING DRIZZLE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN SOME AREAS OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...AND NORTHWEST IOWA TONIGHT. ONLY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE ARE EXPECTED...ALTHOUGH EVEN LIGHT AMOUNTS MAY MAKE ROAD SURFACES SLICK. INTO CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT...HOWEVER THE MAIN SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR DURING THE DAY ON TUESDAY. FOG... WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TO A QUARTER MILE OR LESS THIS MORNING. THE FOG IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH MID MORNING...WITH VISIBILITIES BEGINNING TO IMPROVE BY 10 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. SNOW WILL SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE AREA ON TUESDAY...WITH VERY STRONG WINDS LIKELY DEVELOPING TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS COMBINATION WILL PRODUCE WINTRY WEATHER AND POOR TRAVEL CONDITIONS OVER MUCH OF THE REGION...AND BRING A POTENTIAL FOR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TO NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA. ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL FALL AS SNOW WITH THIS STORM SYSTEM...THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN TUESDAY MORNING ACROSS NORTHWEST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...AND FAR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. && FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SIOUXFALLS. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. 97
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Freezing rain, with light ice accumulations, caused icy driving and walking conditions. Numerous minor accidents were reported in Sioux City with several elsewhere in the county. Several schools closed early, and several evening school related activities were canceled.
Freezing rain, with light ice accumulations, caused icy driving and walking conditions. Several minor accidents and vehicles sliding into ditches were reported.
Freezing rain, with light ice accumulations, caused icy driving and walking conditions. Several minor accidents and vehicles sliding into ditches were reported.
Freezing rain, with light ice accumulations, caused icy driving and walking conditions. Several minor accidents and vehicles sliding into ditches were reported. A school bus flipped into a ditch a little west of Sanborn, but the school bus was empty except for the driver, who was not injured.
Freezing rain, with light ice accumulations, caused icy driving and walking conditions. Several minor accidents and vehicles sliding into ditches were reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, March 2009
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: 158710, 158711, 158713, 158715, 158714.