Iowa, 2014

Heavy Snow in Iowa, November 15 to 16, 2014

November 15 to 16, 2014 · NWS DMX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Low pressure formed over Kansas and moved into southern Iowa during the 15th into the early morning hours of the 16th. Warm air advection took place and warmer, moist air lifted north over a polar airmass that was in place over Iowa.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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 DMX wrote it up.

Low pressure formed over Kansas and moved into southern Iowa during the 15th into the early morning hours of the 16th. Warm air advection took place and warmer, moist air lifted north over a polar airmass that was in place over Iowa. Snow developed across the state. Though the snow did not fall heavily, it was persistent. A snowfall total of 6 inches was reported at Graettinger in Palo Alto County and around 5 inches of snow was reported in areas of Emmet and Kossuth Counties. The impact was reduced as the snow was dry in nature and the winds were light through the storm.

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 Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 15, 5:39 AM CST, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 15, 5:39 AM CST, 1 hour 51 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 15, 5:16 AM CST, 2 hours 14 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Palo Alto

When
November 15, 7:30 AM CST to November 16, 12:30 AM CST
Where
Palo Alto forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.082, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Report from social media.

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

More

Every storm in Iowa in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, November 2014

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: 543027.