Dense Fog in Iowa, March 4, 2010

Name: Dense Fog in Iowa, March 4, 2010
Start: 2010-03-04T05:00
End: 2010-03-04T08:30
Location: Iowa

March 4, 2010 · NWS ARX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A brief three hour period of dense fog occurred across portions of Mitchell, Floyd and Chickasaw counties during the morning of March 4th. m.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $350,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 brief three hour period of dense fog occurred across portions of Mitchell, Floyd and Chickasaw counties during the morning of March 4th. The fog brought visibilities down to near zero from around 5:30 a.m. until approximately 8:00 a.m., before improving. At 7:15 a.m., two semi-trucks collided at the intersection of county road T38 and Highway 18 between Floyd and Rudd (Floyd county). One of the semi-trucks was carrying 76 head of cattle. Twenty-five of the 76 calves were killed in the accident or were put down at the scene, while the rest were taken to a rendering facility to be put down. One of the semi-truck drivers was treated and released for injuries (indirect). Approximately 400 gallons of fuel were spilled on the ground, and the highway was closed for 4 hours as a result of the accident. The total damage of the accident was estimated at $350,000, with $55,000 of that value being from the loss of the cattle.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Floyd

When: March 4, 5:00 AM CST to 8:30 AM CST
Where: Floyd forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Property damage: $350,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 43.060, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At 7:15 a.m. on the morning of March 4th, dense fog caused two semi-trucks to collide at the intersection of county road T38 and Highway 18. One trailer was transporting 76 head of cattle, all of which were eventually put down. Four hundred gallons of fuel was spilled on the ground causing the highway to be closed for four hours.

The Charles City AWOS (Floyd county) reported the visibility at zero between 5:35 a.m. and 6:35 a.m., and then through 7:35 a.m. at one-quarter of a mile. The visibility did then improve through the remainder of the morning.

What these are

Dense Fog: Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, March 2010

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 218506.