Deep moisture out of the Gulf was transported all the way to Iowa ahead of a deep, negatively tilted trough across the Rockies. Across Iowa, this resulted in a mixed precipitation event across the state with over an inch of rain across central to southern Iowa.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 DMX wrote it up.
Deep moisture out of the Gulf was transported all the way to Iowa ahead of a deep, negatively tilted trough across the Rockies. Across Iowa, this resulted in a mixed precipitation event across the state with over an inch of rain across central to southern Iowa. Into northern Iowa the thermal profile cooled and mixed precipitation was reported, including snow, graupel, and freezing rain. Within an axis of colder air, freezing rain accumulated, especially on vegetation and elevated surfaces. Light snow accumulation of up to two inches and ice formed, glazing up to nearly half an inch was across parts of northwest Iowa. Temperatures warmed quickly after sunrise on the 3rd, helping to mitigate impacts from the wintry precipitation.
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 Jan 2, 5:33 PM CST, 2 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 533 PM CST Mon Jan 2 2023 ...Updated for the 00z Aviation Discussion... .DISCUSSION.../Tonight through Monday/ Issued at 241 PM CST Mon Jan 2 2023 Key Messages: - Significant ice storm northwest/north tonight into Tuesday. Warning in effect. - Widespread light snow will follow from around Tuesday night into early Thursday, with moderate accumulations and some blowing snow possible in the north. Additional headlines could be necessary. - Quieter weather expected from late Thursday onward. A significant ice storm is still expected over northwestern into north central Iowa tonight into Tuesday. While precipitation is a certainty and QPF is fairly locked in, precipitation type remains somewhat of a question, though at least some period of freezing rain is very likely in most of the ongoing Ice Storm Warning area. Forecast soundings are unanimous in depicting a deep warm nose with a maximum temp ranging from around 2-3 C up by Estherville to as warm as 7-8 C toward the southern fringe of the headlines. The question then becomes how far temperatures will fall/remain below freezing this evening, and how quickly/far they will rise later overnight as surface warm air advection exerts itself in earnest. Radar imagery shows echoes already moving from eastern Nebraska into far western Iowa at this time, with most surface observations evincing rain, though Offet AFB has recently begun reporting snow. Temperatures around DNS/CRL remain above freezing, but will likely fall another degree or two when precipitation begins, while just to the northwest temperatures are closer to or below freezing, with SLB currently sitting at 30 degrees. Expectation is that initial p-type in these areas will be rain/freezing rain, depending on temperatures, while further north toward the MN border the warm nose is likely not yet present and a period of snow is likely before changing to freezing rain. The precipitation should then change over to rain in most areas overnight as temperatures slowly warm, but in our northwestern corner they may not reach melting level and freezing rain could continue all night. As a result, the highest forecasted ice accums of nearly half an inch are concentrated up around Emmetsburg and Pocahontas, steadily decreasing toward the south and east with no ice anticipated south of about an Audubon-Waterloo line. As for the ongoing headlines, they are more or less on track, however the southern edge of predicted ice accums has drifted about a county northward today in our west central areas, such that Audubon- Guthrie-Boone now have almost no icing forecast and Crawford- Carroll are around 0.05-0.15 inches. Still, given the sensitivity of the forecast to any minor shift in surface temperature fields, have opted not to make any adjustments to the headlines at this time. On Tuesday the initial swath of warm advection precipitation will largely move north out of our area, likely lingering just up around the MN border and our northwestern counties as a light wintry mix. The current headlines run through 00Z Tuesday evening but it is likely that at least some of that area may be cancelled early on Tuesday, depending on short-term radar and temperature trends. Subsequently however, the core of the 500 mb low will drift slowly in from the northwest and wobble across IA for upwards of 36-42 hours, spreading a large and persistent field of generally light precipitation across the majority of the state. Initially this may be rain or a mix late Tuesday, then should transition to mostly snow from later Tuesday night through Wednesday night before finally exiting to the east around Thursday morning. Have increased POPs substantially from Wednesday into early Thursday accordingly, and accumulating snowfall is now forecast with light amounts for the most part but moderate amounts possible in the north where additional headlines may be necessary during that time frame. Winds may also increase by Wednesday and Wednesday night as the cyclone begins to move away, and while speeds should remain well below blizzard criteria there may be some areas of blowing snow especially where accumulations are more moderate up over the Des Moines lobe. From late Thursday onward the forecast is considerably quieter. A couple of mid-level troughs will swing through overhead, the first around Friday night or so and the second around Sunday, but in both instances the moisture fields are more limited and precipitation appears to skirt our area and/or remain light with no significant impacts foreseen. A period of quiet weather would certainly be most welcome. && .AVIATION.../For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Tuesday evening/ Issued at 533 PM CST Mon Jan 2 2023 FZDZ and -FZRA moving across northern sections impacting KFOD/KMCW from 00z through 10 to 12z, then becoming -RA. Up to 0.25 or slightly higher amts ice possible in these areas. Cigs lower from VFR/MVFR to IFR all areas aft 08z; VLIFR expected south at DSM/OTM aft 11z with FG potential as well. Wind gusts expected to ramp up aft 03z (15 to 25kt) and continue north half aft 12 to 18z, then decreasing. Overall very poor conditions this period. /rev && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Ice Storm Warning until 6 PM CST Tuesday for IAZ004>007-015>017- 023>026-033>035-044-045. Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM CST Tuesday for IAZ027-028- 036>038-046-047-057-058. && DISCUSSION...Lee AVIATION...REV
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Des Moines IA 259 PM CST Mon Jan 2 2023 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>026-033>035-044-045-032100- Emmet-Kossuth-Winnebago-Worth-Palo Alto-Hancock-Cerro Gordo- Pocahontas-Humboldt-Wright-Franklin-Sac-Calhoun-Webster-Crawford- Carroll- 259 PM CST Mon Jan 2 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight An Ice Storm Warning is in effect for the area tonight. Please refer to the National Weather Service website at weather.gov/desmoines for further details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday An Ice Storm Warning is in effect through Tuesday afternoon. Please refer to the National Weather Service website at weather.gov/desmoines for further details. A light wintry mix or snow is expected from late Tuesday into Wednesday night. Light to moderate snow accumulations are possible, along with some blowing snow at times. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed, but reports of ice and snow accumulations during and after the event would be appreciated. IAZ027-028-036>038-046-047-057-058-032100- Butler-Bremer-Hamilton-Hardin-Grundy-Greene-Boone-Audubon-Guthrie- 259 PM CST Mon Jan 2 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the area tonight. Please refer to the National Weather Service website at weather.gov/desmoines for further details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the area through Tuesday afternoon. Please refer to the National Weather Service website at weather.gov/desmoines for further details. A light wintry mix or snow is expected from late Tuesday into Wednesday night. Light snow accumulations are possible, along with patchy blowing snow at times. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed, but reports of ice and snow accumulations during and after the event would be appreciated. IAZ039-048>050-059>062-070>075-081>086-092>097-032100- Black Hawk-Story-Marshall-Tama-Dallas-Polk-Jasper-Poweshiek-Cass- Adair-Madison-Warren-Marion-Mahaska-Adams-Union-Clarke-Lucas- Monroe-Wapello-Taylor-Ringgold-Decatur-Wayne-Appanoose-Davis- 259 PM CST Mon Jan 2 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight Non severe thunderstorms will be possible at times tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday A light wintry mix or snow is expected from late Tuesday into Wednesday night. Some minor accumulations on roadways is possible at times. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. Lee
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Two inches of snow followed by nearly a half inch of ice accumulation.
Broadcast media with video of heavy ice accumulation across Hamilton County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, January 2023
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: 1078315, 1078316, 1078317, 1078318, 1078319, 1078320.