Blizzard and Winter Storm in Iowa, January 17 to 18, 2020

Name: Blizzard and Winter Storm in Iowa, January 17 to 18, 2020
Start: 2020-01-17T12:00
End: 2020-01-18T17:30
Location: Iowa

January 17 to 18, 2020 · NWS ARX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: 7

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 ARX wrote it up.

A strong winter storm moved across the Upper Midwest on January 17th and 18th. The storm generally dropped 3 to 5 inches of snow across the area followed by a light coating of ice from freezing drizzle. Despite the snow becoming ice crusted, wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph broke up the ice and snow, producing blowing snow and blizzard conditions from the morning of the 18th through much of the afternoon. The visibility was reduced to around a quarter of a mile during the blizzard conditions with drifting snow impacting most roads. The highest recorded wind gust was 45 mph by the automated weather observing equipment at the Oelwein airport (Fayette County).

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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 17, 5:28 AM CST, 6 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 17, 5:28 AM CST, 6 hours 32 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
528 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020

.SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight)
Issued at 414 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020

At 3 AM, mid and high clouds were advancing northeast into the
Upper Mississippi River Valley ahead of a short wave over the
Central Plains. Temperatures ranged -13F at Black River Falls WI
to 8F at Platteville WI.

For today, a shortwave trough will eject out of the Central
Plains. As it approaches, a band of snow will move into the area.
The HRRR and RAP models are in very good agreement that measurable
snow will move into southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa between
17.16z and and 17.19z, and into western Wisconsin between 17.19z
and 17.22z. The 17.03Z SREF and 17.00z HREF indicate that snow
rates will be up to 1 inch per hour. Like the past couple of days,
the WPC snow rates (8-12 to 1) were preferred over the NBM. Snow
totals this afternoon will range from 1 to 2" in western
Wisconsin and 2 to 5" in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota.

For tonight, a dry slot will move into the area. With the loss of
ice in the clouds, we will see either a change to freezing rain or
to a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain (mainly north of
Interstate 94). Additional snow totals will be 2 to 5" north of
Interstate 90 and 1 to 2" south of Interstate 90. Freezing rain
accumulations will be a glaze north of Interstate 94 and up to
1/10" south of Interstate 94. In areas where there is higher ice
accumulations, the ice will likely freeze off this snow pack.

.LONG TERM...(Saturday through Thursday)
Issued at 414 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020

On Saturday, the low pressure area will strengthen and move across
Lower Michigan and Lake Huron. Meanwhile, a 1043 mb surface high
will be building into the Northern Plains. This will result in a
tightening surface pressure gradient. Sustained northwest winds
will climb into the 20 to 30 mph range and wind gusts will range
from 35 to 45 mph. Up to 2" of snow is expected to develop ahead
of a second shortwave trough. This new snow will be able to move
on top of the ice covered snow pack, so expect patchy to areas of
blowing snow. In addition with snow to liquid ratios of 15-20 to
1, the winds will be able to move this snow. As a result, there
will be patchy to areas of blowing snow. This will cause some
reduction to visibilities. Due to the limited snow pack
availability, not expecting blizzard conditions to develop.

Strong cold air advection in the wake of the cold front will cause
temperatures to fall into the single digits and teens during the
late morning and early afternoon west of the Mississippi River and
for the remainder of the area during the afternoon. Wind chills
will range from 0 to 10 below in western Wisconsin and from 10 to
20 below for the remainder of the area.

Wind chills will range from 20 to 35 below on Sunday morning and
from 15 to 30 below on Monday morning. Wind Chill Advisories will
likely be needed Saturday night/Sunday morning and may be needed
Sunday night/Monday morning.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Saturday morning)
Issued at 528 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020

Main taf concerns will be MVFR to IFR conditions at both taf sites
due to winter storm impacting the area through Saturday. Ceilings
will begin to lower by 18z today across the region...along with
precipitation overspreading the taf sites early this afternoon in
advance of surface low moving into the Upper Midwest/Great lakes.
MVFR/IFR conditions can be expected by 20z at RST and 22z at LSE.
These conditions will prevail through much of the taf period.
Precipitation type initially will be all snow in the afternoon and
evening. Latest bufkit soundings indicate the potential loss of
ice in the cloud and precipitation tonight will be a mix of
freezing rain/snow at both taf sites mainly after 02z.
Precipitation may switch back to all snow by end of taf
period...however this dependent on how colder air filters in
behind cold front moving across the area Saturday morning. Winds
will increase after taf period...creating blowing/drifting snow
and reduced visibility at RST taf Saturday morning.

&&

.ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...Winter Weather Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 6 PM CST
     Saturday for WIZ041>044-053>055-061.

     Winter Storm Warning from 2 PM this afternoon to 6 PM CST
     Saturday for WIZ017-029-032>034.

MN...Winter Weather Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 6 PM CST
     Saturday for MNZ096.

     Winter Storm Warning from noon today to 6 PM CST Saturday for
     MNZ086-087-094-095.

     Winter Storm Warning from 2 PM this afternoon to 6 PM CST
     Saturday for MNZ079-088.

IA...Winter Storm Warning from 11 AM this morning to 6 PM CST
     Saturday for IAZ008-018-019.

     Winter Weather Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 6 PM CST
     Saturday for IAZ011.

     Winter Storm Warning from noon today to 6 PM CST Saturday for
     IAZ009-010-029-030.

&&

SHORT TERM...Boyne
LONG TERM...Boyne
AVIATION...DTJ

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 17, 4:37 AM CST, 7 hours 23 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...CORRECTION
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
437 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020

IAZ008>010-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094-095-181200-
Mitchell-Howard-Winneshiek-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette-Clayton-
Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona-Mower-Fillmore-
437 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central
Iowa...northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from late this morning into tonight.

Accumulating snow will move into the area during the late morning
and early afternoon. There may be some patchy blowing snow. The snow
will then transition to a wintry mix of snow and freezing rain
tonight.

Snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches from this afternoon through
tonight. Ice accumulations for tonight will be up to a tenth of an
inch.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

A Winter Storm Warning continues through Saturday.

Additional snowfall will be up to a half inch on Saturday morning.

Strong northwest winds gusting to around 45 mph on Saturday will
lead to blowing and drifting snow in open areas with significant
visibility reductions possible.

Wind chills of 25 to 35 below are expected on Sunday morning and
15 to 25 below Monday morning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Snow and ice reports would be appreciated.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

No webinar is scheduled.

WIZ017-029-032>034-181200-
Taylor-Clark-Buffalo-Trempealeau-Jackson-
437 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central
Wisconsin...north central Wisconsin and west central Wisconsin.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for this afternoon and
tonight.

Accumulating snow will move into the area during the afternoon. The
snow will then transition to a wintry mix of snow and freezing
rain tonight.

Snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches from this afternoon through
tonight. Ice accumulations for tonight will be up to a tenth of an
inch.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

A Winter Storm Warning continues through Saturday.

Additional snowfall will be up to 2 inches on Saturday.

Strong northwest winds gusting to around 40 mph on Saturday will
lead to some blowing and drifting snow. Some reductions in
visibility may occur.

Wind chills of 15 to 25 below are expected on Sunday and Monday
mornings.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Snow and ice reports would be appreciated.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

No webinar is scheduled.

IAZ011-MNZ096-WIZ041>044-053>055-061-181200-
Allamakee-Houston-La Crosse-Monroe-Juneau-Adams-Vernon-Crawford-
Richland-Grant-
437 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northeast
Iowa...southeast Minnesota...central Wisconsin...southwest
Wisconsin and west central Wisconsin.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for this afternoon and
tonight.

Accumulating snow will move into the area during the afternoon. The
snow will then transition to a wintry mix of snow and freezing
rain tonight.

Snow accumulations of 3 to 4 inches from this afternoon through
tonight. Ice accumulations for tonight will be around a tenth of
an inch.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

A Winter Weather Advisory continues through Saturday.

Additional snowfall will be up to an inch on Saturday.

Strong northwest winds gusting to around 40 mph on Saturday will
lead to some blowing and drifting snow. Some reductions in
visibility may occur.

Wind chills of 15 to 25 below are expected on Sunday and Monday
mornings.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Snow and ice reports would be appreciated.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

No webinar is scheduled.

Boyne
nofwd

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 blizzard, 3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Fayette

When: January 17, 12:00 PM CST to January 18, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.863, -91.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

COOP and volunteer snow observers reported that 3 to 4 inches of snow fell across Fayette County. A period of freezing drizzle created a coating of ice on top of the snow. Some blowing and drifting snow occurred during the morning and afternoon of the 18th with wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph. The highest recorded wind gust was 45 mph by the automated weather observing equipment at the Oelwein airport.

Winter Storm, Clayton

When: January 17, 12:30 PM CST to January 18, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Clayton forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.845, -91.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

COOP and volunteer snow observers reported that 3 to 5 inches of snow fell across Clayton County. A period of freezing drizzle created a coating of ice on top of the snow. Some blowing and drifting snow occurred during the morning and afternoon of the 18th with wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph.

Winter Storm, Winneshiek

When: January 17, 12:45 PM CST to January 18, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Winneshiek forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.291, -91.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

COOP and volunteer snow observers reported that 2 to 4 inches of snow fell across Winneshiek County. A period of freezing drizzle created a coating of ice on top of the snow. Some blowing and drifting snow occurred during the morning and afternoon of the 18th with wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph. The highest recorded wind gust was 38 mph by a mesonet station near Frankville.

Blizzard, Chickasaw

When: January 18, 8:30 AM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where: Chickasaw forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.060, -92.318 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard conditions occurred across Chickasaw County during the late morning and afternoon of January 18th. The visibility was reduced to around a quarter mile in blowing snow as wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph occurred. Prior to the blizzard conditions, a period of winter storm conditions occurred from the afternoon of the 17th into the morning of the 18th. Around 3 inches of snow fell along with a coating of ice from freezing drizzle. The highest recorded wind gust was 44 mph by a mesonet station near Ionia.

Blizzard, Floyd

When: January 18, 8:30 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Floyd forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.060, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard conditions occurred across Floyd County during the late morning and afternoon of January 18th. The visibility was reduced to around a quarter mile in blowing snow as wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph occurred. Prior to the blizzard conditions, a period of winter storm conditions occurred from the afternoon of the 17th into the morning of the 18th. Three to four inches of snow fell along with a coating of ice from freezing drizzle.

Blizzard, Howard

When: January 18, 8:30 AM CST to 5:30 PM CST
Where: Howard forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.357, -92.317 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard conditions occurred across Howard County during the late morning and afternoon of January 18th. The visibility was reduced to around a quarter mile in blowing snow as wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph occurred. Prior to the blizzard conditions, a period of winter storm conditions occurred from the afternoon of the 17th into the morning of the 18th. Around 3 inches of snow fell along with a coating of ice from freezing drizzle.

Blizzard, Mitchell

When: January 18, 8:30 AM CST to 5:10 PM CST
Where: Mitchell forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 43.356, -92.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard conditions occurred across Mitchell County during the late morning and afternoon of January 18th. The visibility was reduced to around a quarter mile in blowing snow as wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph occurred. Prior to the blizzard conditions, a period of winter storm conditions occurred from the afternoon of the 17th into the morning of the 18th. Around 4 inches of snow fell along with a coating of ice from freezing drizzle.

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, January 2020

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: 871367, 871366, 871371, 871365, 871368, 871369, 871370.