A winter storm brought heavy snow to northeast Iowa. The snow started during the evening of January 24th and continued through much of the day on the 25th.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 ARX wrote it up.
A winter storm brought heavy snow to northeast Iowa. The snow started during the evening of January 24th and continued through much of the day on the 25th. Snowfall totals ranged from 5 to 14 inches with the highest reported total of 14 inches in Charles City (Floyd County). The main impact from this system was snow covered roads for the morning commute on the 25th causing several schools to close.
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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 24, 1:35 PM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1030 AM CST TUE JAN 24 2017 IAZ029-030-WIZ061-251200- FAYETTE-CLAYTON-GRANT- 1030 AM CST TUE JAN 24 2017 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. A WINTRY MIX OF SNOW...RAIN...AND SLEET WILL OCCUR WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 5 INCHES. SOME THUNDER COULD ALSO OCCUR WITH LIGHTNING BEING THE MAIN THREAT. TRAVEL MAY BE IMPACTED BY THE WINTRY MIX. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE WINTRY MIX WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY WITH AN ADDITIONAL HALF INCH TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW AND A GLAZING OF ICE EXPECTED. STORM TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS SHOULD RANGE FROM 1 TO 6 INCHES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOW AND SLEET REPORTS WILL BE APPRECIATED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... CHECK FOR LATER UPDATES AND COORDINATE WITH YOUR PARTNER GROUPS. IAZ008>011-018-019-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ032>034-041>044- 053>055-251200- MITCHELL-HOWARD-WINNESHIEK-ALLAMAKEE-FLOYD-CHICKASAW-WABASHA- DODGE-OLMSTED-WINONA-MOWER-FILLMORE-HOUSTON-BUFFALO-TREMPEALEAU- JACKSON-LA CROSSE-MONROE-JUNEAU-ADAMS-VERNON-CRAWFORD-RICHLAND- 1030 AM CST TUE JAN 24 2017 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...SOUTHWEST AND WESTERN INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT. A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AND THEN QUICKLY CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW. ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. IN ADDITION...SOME THUNDER COULD BE HEARD ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA INTO SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN WITH LIGHTNING BEING THE MAIN THREAT. TRAVEL WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE SNOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE WINTER STORM WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT WITH THE SNOW CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW IS FORECAST WITH STORM TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 9 INCHES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOW REPORTS WILL BE APPRECIATED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... CHECK FOR LATER UPDATES AND COORDINATE WITH YOUR PARTNER GROUPS. WIZ017-029-251200- TAYLOR-CLARK- 1030 AM CST TUE JAN 24 2017 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA LATE THIS EVENING OR CLOSER TO MIDNIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. TRAVEL MAY BE IMPACTED BY THE SNOW OVERNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT WITH THE SNOW CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW IS FORECAST WITH STORM TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOW REPORTS WILL BE APPRECIATED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... CHECK FOR LATER UPDATES AND COORDINATE WITH YOUR PARTNER GROUPS. 04/RRS/SHEA
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
COOP and volunteer snow observers reported 2 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow fell across Fayette County. The higher totals were generally over the northern half of the county. The highest reported total was 8.5 inches in the city of Fayette.
COOP and volunteer snow observers reported 7 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow fell across Chickasaw County. The highest reported total was 8.5 inches in Alta Vista.
COOP and volunteer snow observers reported 2 to 9 inches of heavy, wet snow across Clayton County. The higher totals were generally across the northern half of the county. The highest reported total was 9.8 inches in Monona.
COOP and volunteer snow observers reported 10 to 14 inches of heavy, wet snow fell across Floyd County. The highest reported total was 14 inches in Charles City.
COOP and volunteer snow observers reported 6 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow fell across Howard County. The highest reported total was 8 inches in Elma.
COOP and volunteer snow observers reported 9 to 11 inches of heavy, wet snow fell across Mitchell County. The highest reported total was 11.2 in St. Ansgar.
COOP and volunteer snow observers reported 5 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow fell across Winneshiek County. The highest reported total was 8 inches in Calmar.
COOP and volunteer snow observers reported 7 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow fell across Allamakee County. The highest reported total was 8.9 inches near Lansing.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, January 2017
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: 674142, 674126, 674129, 674146, 674151, 674155, 674157, 674116.