A low pressure system situated to the north of the state proceeded east-southeast out of the Dakotas and into Minnesota through the day. The accompanying cold front, while not excessively cold, did come with a 850mb jet of around 70kts.
Every event with a place to put it; 23 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 DMX wrote it up.
A low pressure system situated to the north of the state proceeded east-southeast out of the Dakotas and into Minnesota through the day. The accompanying cold front, while not excessively cold, did come with a 850mb jet of around 70kts. Resulting sustained winds approached 40 mph in many locations across northern Iowa, including a number of mesonet and ASOS sites reporting wind gusts at or in excess of 58 mph in the mid to late morning hours.
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 Feb 19, 5:42 AM CST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 542 AM CST FRI FEB 19 2016 .SHORT TERM /TODAY/... ISSUED AT 400 AM CST FRI FEB 19 2016 A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SWEEP THE NORTHERN PLAINS CLIPPING NORTHERN IOWA EARLY THIS MORNING. MOST OF THE PRECIP WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL STAY IN MN BUT A FEW STRAY RAIN SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE FAR NORTH. THE BIGGER STORY WILL BE THE WIND. AS THE UPPER SYSTEM PULLS EAST THE WIND WILL BECOME WEST AND INCREASE CONSIDERABLY. BUFKIT SOUNDINGS SHOWED MIXING WILL BE RELATIVELY SHALLOW BUT THE WINDS IN THIS LAYER EXCEED 50KTS AND WE SHOULD SEE WIDESPREAD WINDS ACROSS THE AREA INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH BY 15Z WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH...POSSIBLY HIGHER. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL HIT THE WEST AROUND SUNRISE THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON AND FROM THE I-35 CORRIDOR EAST AROUND 14-15Z THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH AFTER 3 PM ALTHOUGH IT WILL STILL BE GUSTY. THANKFULLY GRASSES ARE STILL EITHER WET AND/OR SNOW COVERED BECAUSE THIS KIND OF WIND COMBINED WITH THE FORECAST DEWPOINTS MOVING IN COULD PRODUCE A FIRE THREAT IN DRIER CONDITIONS. .LONG TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... ISSUED AT 400 AM CST FRI FEB 19 2016 THE FORECAST THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE RELATIVELY INACTIVE WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF PRECIP AND TEMPERATURES GRADUALLY COOLING BACK TO NORMAL. FAST ZONAL FLOW WILL BE IN PLACE INITIALLY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND UNTIL A CENTRAL CONUS MEAN TROUGH DEVELOPS INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. AT ONSET ANY WIND CONCERNS WILL HAVE SUBSIDED WITH JUST MINOR SHORT WAVES IN THE FLOW THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ONE WILL INDUCE WEAK CYCLOGENESIS AND ASSOCIATED BOUNDARY DEVELOPMENT FROM MO INTO IL SAT AND SAT NIGHT. THERE IS LITTLE KINEMATIC SUPPORT NORTH OF THE FRONT...BUT WEAK WARM/THETA-E ADVECTION AND FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING COULD POSSIBLY JUST BRUSH THE FAR SERN SECTIONS WITH A SHOWERS SAT NIGHT. BY SUN THE PRECIP POTENTIAL VARIES QUITE A BIT AMONG THE MODELS RANGING FROM THE MOST AGGRESSIVE NAM TO THE WEAKER/DRY ECMWF. THE GFS HAS A STRONGER SHORT WAVE...BUT IT IS FARTHER NORTH...ONLY BRUSHING NRN SECTIONS. THE SREF DOES GENERATE SOME PRECIP...BUT MAINLY SEEMS TO BE TOWARD THE NAM-LIKE NMM MEMBERS WITH THE ARW CORES DRIER. AT THIS TIME RANGE...WILL PAY LESS CREDENCE TO THE NAM/NMM SOLUTIONS AND FAVOR THE DRIER ECMWF/GFS. HAVE SOME LOW END RAIN/SNOW CHANCES AROUND TUE AS BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS DEPICT A WAVE OF SOME DEGREE DROPPING THROUGH THE NW FLOW INTO THE LONG WAVE TROUGH...BUT OTHERWISE THERE IS INSUFFICIENT CONSISTENT FORCING AND/OR MOISTURE AMONG THE SOLUTIONS TO ADD ANY MORE POPS THROUGH THE EXTENDED. THE MAIN STORY WILL BE A RETURN TO MORE SEASONAL TEMPERATURES...AND WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE TEMPS COOL FURTHER INTO WED OR THU DEPENDING ON THE DEGREE OF THE FOLLOWING SURFACE HIGH. && .AVIATION...19/12Z ISSUED AT 542 AM CST FRI FEB 19 2016 SFC LOW PASSING OVER SRN MN MAY BRING MVFR CIGS AND A BRIEF PASSING SHOWER TO KFOD AND KMCW. OTHERWISE THE FORECAST CHALLENGE WILL BE VERY STRONG WIND. THE PASSING SYSTEM WILL BE FOLLOWED BY W TO NW WINDS AT 30G40KT WITH LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR FROM 12Z THROUGH 20Z..WITH 22Z ACROSS EASTERN TAF LOCATIONS. AFT 22Z WINDS WILL BE DIMINISHING THROUGH 20/06Z. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 400 AM CST FRI FEB 19 2016 WITH WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND DEWPOINTS INTO THE 30S AND 40S APPRECIABLE SNOWMELT WILL CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY TODAY. NOAA/NOHRSC ESTIMATES SUGGEST VALUES EXCEEDING TWO INCHES ARE STILL PREVALENT OVER NRN IA ALONG AND NORTH OF A FORT DODGE TO DECORAH LINE. MUCH OF THIS MELT SHOULD RUNOFF. ONLY A FEW OBS ARE AVAILABLE...BUT THOSE SUGGEST A FROST DEPTH OF AT LEAST 7-16 INCHES UNDER THE SNOW. RIVER FORECAST CENTER FORECASTS MODELING THIS DEPICT WIDESPREAD WITHIN BANK RISES OVER THE NRN HALF OF IA INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...INCLUDING REACHING MINOR FLOOD STAGE AT SOUTHEAST 6TH ON THE DES MOINES RIVER AND AT PERRY ON THE RACCOON RIVER. NO WARNINGS YET UNTIL CONFIDENCE INCREASES HOWEVER. THE RACCOON RIVER HAS YET TO REALLY RESPOND YET AND THE SE 6TH FLOODING WOULD BE CONTINGENT ON THAT RACCOON FLOW. ICE JAM AWARENESS WILL NEED TO BE HEIGHTENED INTO THE WEEKEND OVER NRN IA AS WELL. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR APPANOOSE-BLACK HAWK-BREMER-BUTLER-CERRO GORDO-CLARKE-DAVIS- DECATUR-FRANKLIN-GRUNDY-HARDIN-JASPER-LUCAS-MAHASKA-MARION- MARSHALL-MONROE-POLK-POWESHIEK-STORY-TAMA-WAPELLO-WARREN-WAYNE- WORTH. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR ADAIR-ADAMS- AUDUBON-BOONE-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CASS-CRAWFORD-DALLAS-EMMET-GREENE- GUTHRIE-HAMILTON-HANCOCK-HUMBOLDT-KOSSUTH-MADISON-PALO ALTO- POCAHONTAS-RINGGOLD-SAC-TAYLOR-UNION-WEBSTER-WINNEBAGO-WRIGHT. && SHORT TERM...FAB LONG TERM...SMALL AVIATION...FAB HYDROLOGY...SMALL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 443 AM CST FRI FEB 19 2016 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-201200- EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO- POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-BUTLER-BREMER-SAC-CALHOUN- WEBSTER-HAMILTON-HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE- BOONE-STORY-MARSHALL-TAMA-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-JASPER- POWESHIEK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-MARION-MAHASKA-ADAMS-UNION- CLARKE-LUCAS-MONROE-WAPELLO-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-DECATUR-WAYNE- APPANOOSE-DAVIS- 443 AM CST FRI FEB 19 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA. WINDS MAY GUST TO 50 MPH THROUGH MIDDAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT SNOW MELT TO OCCUR OVER NORTHERN IOWA. ICE JAMS ARE POSSIBLE NORTH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MILD TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND WILL CAUSE ADDITIONAL SNOW MELT TO OCCUR. AS A RESULT...THE POTENTIAL FOR MINOR RIVER FLOODING EXISTS THIS WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. ICE JAMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE OVER THE NORTHERN THIRD OF CENTRAL IOWA WHERE MORE RIVER ICE IS IN PLACE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. SMALL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
23 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Rockwell City RWIS measured 59 mph wind gust.
Clarion AWOS measured 58 mph wind gust.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Sustained winds of 40 mph or more based on area mesonet, ASOS, and AWOS sites.
Mason City ASOS measured 58 mph wind gust.
Webster City AWOS measured 58 mph wind gust.
ASOS station in Estherville measured 61 mph wind gust.
Ames ASOS measured 60 mph wind gust.
Iowa Falls AWOS station measured 58 mph wind gust.
Marshalltown ASOS measured 59 mph wind gust.
Ankeny RWIS measured 60 mph wind gust and the DSM ASOS also measured a 60 mph wind.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, February 2016
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: 614774, 614771, 614778, 614779, 614780, 614781, 614782, 614783, 614784, 614785, 614786, 614787, 614788, 614789, 614790, 614791, 614770, 614773, 614769, 614776, 614772, 614775, 614777.