Iowa, 2019

Extreme Cold in Iowa, March 4, 2019

March 4, 2019 · NWS DMX · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

Arctic air began filtering into the region March 2nd and 3rd, culminating in Arctic temperatures overnight March 3rd into the morning of March 4th with air temperatures dropping into the single digits below zero across the state, and the 9 to 12 below zero range across the coldest portions of northern Iowa. With the core of the surface high pressure situated to the west over Nebraska and Kansas,…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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.

Arctic air began filtering into the region March 2nd and 3rd, culminating in Arctic temperatures overnight March 3rd into the morning of March 4th with air temperatures dropping into the single digits below zero across the state, and the 9 to 12 below zero range across the coldest portions of northern Iowa. With the core of the surface high pressure situated to the west over Nebraska and Kansas, west to northwest winds around 10 to 15 kts dropped wind chill values into the 25 to 35 degrees below zero range.

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 Mar 3, 5:47 PM CST, 6 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 3, 5:47 PM CST, 6 hours 13 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 3, 3:51 PM CST, 8 hours 9 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
351 PM CST Sun Mar 3 2019

IAZ048>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-092>097-041200-
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-
351 PM CST Sun Mar 3 2019

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight

A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for the area from late this
evening through Monday morning. Please refer to the National
Weather Service website at weather.gov/desmoines for further
details.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday

A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for the area Monday morning.
Please refer to the National Weather Service website at
weather.gov/desmoines for further details.

Accumulating snowfall is likely on Thursday and again on
Saturday, however amounts are uncertain. Travel impacts are
expected.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

IAZ027-028-038-039-044>047-041200-
Butler-Bremer-Grundy-Black Hawk-Crawford-Carroll-Greene-Boone-
351 PM CST Sun Mar 3 2019

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight

A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for the area through Monday
morning. Please refer to the National Weather Service website at
weather.gov/desmoines for further details.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday

A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for the area Monday morning.
Please refer to the National Weather Service website at
weather.gov/desmoines for further details.

Accumulating snowfall is likely on Thursday and again on
Saturday, however amounts are uncertain. Travel impacts are
expected.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

IAZ004>007-015>017-023>026-033>037-041200-
Emmet-Kossuth-Winnebago-Worth-Palo Alto-Hancock-Cerro Gordo-
Pocahontas-Humboldt-Wright-Franklin-Sac-Calhoun-Webster-Hamilton-
Hardin-
351 PM CST Sun Mar 3 2019

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight

A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for the area through this
evening, then a Wind Chill Warning is in effect for later tonight
into Monday morning. Please refer to the National Weather Service
website at weather.gov/desmoines for further details.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday

A Wind Chill Warning is in effect for the area early Monday
morning, then a Wind Chill Advisory in in effect for late Monday
morning. Please refer to the National Weather Service website at
weather.gov/desmoines for further details.

Accumulating snowfall is likely on Thursday and again on
Saturday, however amounts are uncertain. Travel impacts are
expected.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

Lee

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Emmet

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Emmet forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.378, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Kossuth

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Kossuth forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.204, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Winnebago

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Winnebago forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.378, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Worth

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Worth forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.377, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Palo Alto

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Palo Alto forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.082, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hancock

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Hancock forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Cerro Gordo

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Cerro Gordo forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
43.082, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pocahontas

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Pocahontas forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Humboldt

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Humboldt forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.777, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sac

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Sac forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.386, -95.105 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Calhoun

When
March 4, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.385, -94.640 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Wright

When
March 4, 2:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Wright forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.733, -93.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Franklin

When
March 4, 2:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.733, -93.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Webster

When
March 4, 2:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Webster forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.428, -94.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hamilton

When
March 4, 2:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Hamilton forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.384, -93.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hardin

When
March 4, 2:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Hardin forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
42.384, -93.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, March 2019

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 812719, 812720, 812721, 812722, 812723, 812724, 812725, 812726, 812727, 812730, 812731, 812728, 812729, 812732, 812733, 812734.