Iowa, 2023

Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, January 18 to 19, 2023

January 18 to 19, 2023 · NWS OAX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An impactful winter weather system brought snow, freezing rain, sleet, and ice pellets to the area. Heavier snowfall mostly stayed west and north.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
3

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 OAX wrote it up.

An impactful winter weather system brought snow, freezing rain, sleet, and ice pellets to the area. Heavier snowfall mostly stayed west and north. Harison and Monona counties both received at least 6 inches of snow.

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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 18, 11:32 AM CST, 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 18, 11:32 AM CST, 28 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 18, 11:00 AM CST, 1 hour before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter storm, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Harrison

When
January 18, 12:00 PM CST to January 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Harrison forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
41.683, -95.817 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

COOP Observer in Mapleton reported 6-inches of snow and observed ice pellets.

Winter Storm, Monona

When
January 18, 1:00 PM CST to January 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Monona forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
42.052, -95.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

COOP Observer in Little Sioux reported 7-inches of snow and a glaze of ice.

Winter Weather, Shelby

When
January 18, 1:00 PM CST to January 19, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Shelby forecast zone
Reported by
Social Media
Coordinates
41.685, -95.310 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public reported 2.7 inches of snow.

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, January 2023

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: 1079080, 1079084, 1079091.