Iowa, 2016Extreme Cold in Iowa, January 16 to 17, 2016
January 16 to 17, 2016 · NWS FSD · 9 events in 9 counties and zones
Arctic air and northwest winds combined to lower wind chill readings to 35 to 40 degrees below zero in much of northwest Iowa from the evening of January 16th to the morning of January 17th. Actual temperatures dropped to around 15 degrees below zero, and northwest winds averaged 10 to 15 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 9
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.
Arctic air and northwest winds combined to lower wind chill readings to 35 to 40 degrees below zero in much of northwest Iowa from the evening of January 16th to the morning of January 17th. Actual temperatures dropped to around 15 degrees below zero, and northwest winds averaged 10 to 15 mph.
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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 16, 5:57 PM CST, 4 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 16, 5:57 PM CST, 4 hours 3 minutes before
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</html>Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 16, 4:36 AM CST, 17 hours 24 minutes before
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</html>Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lyon
- When
- January 16, 10:00 PM CST to January 17, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 43.381, -96.210 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chills dropped to the 35 to 40 below zero range for much of the night and morning hours on January 16-17. Northwest winds gusted to around 20 mph early in the event, but generally averaged 10 to 15 mph when the coldest wind chills were reached, during which time actual temperatures were around 15 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Osceola
- When
- January 16, 10:00 PM CST to January 17, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Osceola forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 43.379, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chills dropped to the 35 to 40 below zero range for much of the night and morning hours on January 16-17. Northwest winds gusted to around 20 mph early in the event, but generally averaged 10 to 15 mph when the coldest wind chills were reached, during which time actual temperatures were around 15 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sioux
- When
- January 16, 10:00 PM CST to January 17, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Sioux forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 43.083, -96.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chills dropped to the 35 to 40 below zero range for much of the night and morning hours on January 16-17. Northwest winds gusted to around 20 mph early in the event, but generally averaged 10 to 15 mph when the coldest wind chills were reached, during which time actual temperatures were around 15 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Dickinson
- When
- January 16, 10:00 PM CST to January 17, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dickinson forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 43.378, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chills dropped to the 35 to 40 below zero range for much of the night and morning hours on January 16-17. Northwest winds gusted to around 20 mph early in the event, but generally averaged 10 to 15 mph when the coldest wind chills were reached, during which time actual temperatures were around 15 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, O'Brien
- When
- January 16, 11:00 PM CST to January 17, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- O'Brien forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chills dropped to the 35 to 40 below zero range for much of the night and morning hours on January 16-17. Northwest winds gusted to around 20 mph early in the event, but generally averaged 10 to 15 mph when the coldest wind chills were reached, during which time actual temperatures were around 15 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Clay
- When
- January 16, 11:00 PM CST to January 17, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 43.083, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chills dropped to the 35 to 40 below zero range for much of the night and morning hours on January 16-17. Northwest winds gusted to around 20 mph early in the event, but generally averaged 10 to 15 mph when the coldest wind chills were reached, during which time actual temperatures were around 15 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cherokee
- When
- January 16, 11:00 PM CST to January 17, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Cherokee forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 42.736, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chills dropped to the 35 to 40 below zero range for much of the night and morning hours on January 16-17. Northwest winds gusted to around 20 mph early in the event, but generally averaged 10 to 15 mph when the coldest wind chills were reached, during which time actual temperatures were around 15 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Buena Vista
- When
- January 16, 11:00 PM CST to January 17, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Buena Vista forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 42.736, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chills dropped to the 35 to 40 below zero range for much of the night and morning hours on January 16-17. Northwest winds gusted to around 20 mph early in the event, but generally averaged 10 to 15 mph when the coldest wind chills were reached, during which time actual temperatures were around 15 degrees below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Ida
- When
- January 16, 11:00 PM CST to January 17, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Ida forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 42.387, -95.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind chills dropped to the 35 to 40 below zero range for much of the night and morning hours on January 16-17. Northwest winds gusted to around 20 mph early in the event, but generally averaged 10 to 15 mph when the coldest wind chills were reached, during which time actual temperatures were around 15 degrees below zero.
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
- Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- High Surf in California, January 16 to 18, 20162 deaths · 1 event
- Avalanche in Alaska, January 16, 20161 death · 1 event
- Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 16 to 17, 201640 events
- Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 16 to 17, 201624 events
- Extreme Cold in South Dakota, January 16 to 17, 201619 events
- Extreme Cold in North Dakota, January 16 to 17, 201618 events
- Extreme Cold in South Dakota, January 16 to 17, 201615 events
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, January 16 to 17, 201614 events
- Damaging Wind in Oregon, January 16, 2016$15,000 · 55 kt wind · 1 event
- Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 16 to 17, 20168 events
- Extreme Cold in Minnesota, January 16 to 17, 20168 events
- Lake-Effect Snow and Winter Weather in Michigan, January 16 to 18, 20167 events
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 614840, 614841, 614842, 614844, 614846, 614847, 614848, 614850, 614851.