Iowa winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 99 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 10,746 winter storm records in Iowa from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 349 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the December 20, 2012 blizzard: 2 deaths, 7 injuries and $4.3 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 6 records. Iowa ranks 5th of 51 states and territories by count and 15th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Iowa, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 10,7461996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 349average
- Deaths
- 4799 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $217Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2007722 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in Iowa?
Iowa averages about 349 winter storm records a year since 2000, 5th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2007 (722). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Iowa records 1924 winter storm records since 1996, 15th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Iowa have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Dickinson County leads Iowa: 195 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 512.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Jackson County has the most winter storm records (276 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Iowa?
55% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The busiest month is January (3,305 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 3,305 · Feb 2,418 · Mar 1,271 · Apr 384 · May 38 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 102 · Nov 582 · Dec 2,646 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Iowa?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-12-20 | BlizzardWright County · forecast zone Wright One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. Part 2 of 2: The seasons first major winter storm moved into Iowa during the late afternoon and evening of the 19th and continued into the day on the 20th and became a blizzard for much of the Des Moines CWA. A strong low pressure developed over southeast Colorado and pushed east across southern Kansas. The low turned ... | 2 | 7 | $4.3M | |
| 2008-02-03 | Winter WeatherLouisa County · forecast zone Louisa One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. On February 3, 2008 a strong upper air disturbance moving through Missouri, produced an intense overrunning situation across the region. Many areas of eastern Iowa, western Illinois and northeast Missouri reported thundersnows. Snowfall rates of 2-3 inches per hour were observed with the thunder and lightning. The ... | 2 | 4 | – | |
| 2018-02-03 | Winter WeatherWinneshiek County · forecast zone Winneshiek Two sisters were killed in a two vehicle accident that occurred on slippery roads as a result of snow that fell two days prior to the accident. Roads were still partially snow covered and slippery at the time of the accident. The driver of one vehicle lost control, crossed the center line and was sliding sideways when ... | 2 | 4 | $5K | |
| 2007-01-14 | Winter StormSioux County · forecast zone Sioux Snow accumulated 5 to 8 inches. Increasing northwest winds during the event caused wind chills to approach 20 below zero as the snow was ending. The winds also caused a few areas of blowing and drifting snow. A vehicle accident which caused 2 fatalities and 3 injuries was attributed to slick roads and poor visibility ... | 2 | 3 | – | |
| 2020-11-09 | Winter WeatherPlymouth County · forecast zone Plymouth One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2020-11-09 to 2020-11-10; the totals are the episode's. Unusual warmth with a week of temperatures mainly in the 70s (even 50s and 60s on November 9 less than a day before this storm) was brought to an abrupt end as a deep trough of low pressure moved out of Rockies and into the Plains. An intense lower- to mid-level frontal zone oozed eastward as a strong jet lifted out ... | 2 | 3 | $23K | |
| 2020-01-12 | Winter WeatherPlymouth County · forecast zone Plymouth One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A mid-level disturbance worked northeast from Colorado early morning January 12 into Iowa by late day. Broad lift initially within the warm advection zone became increasingly concentrated, with deeper lift in the dendritic growth layer by afternoon across northwest Iowa. Snowfall rates up to 1.5 to 2 inches per hour ... | 2 | 2 | $13K | |
| 2008-12-03 | Winter WeatherIowa County · forecast zone Iowa One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An arctic front swept through the region on December 3, 2008 accompanied by a band of snow behind the frontal passage. Mainly light snow fell for about a 5 to 7 hour period with total accumulations of 2 to 4 inches across eastern Iowa and northwest and western Illinois. The most reported was 4.1 inches at the Quad ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-01-26 | Heavy SnowPoweshiek County · forecast zone Poweshiek One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 1999-01-01 | Winter StormDubuque County · forecast zone Dubuque One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong winter storm exiting the Southern Rockies pumped warm tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico over cold Arctic air already in place over the upper midwest. As the storm moved toward the Great Lakes it produced heavy snow, strong winds, and a bitterly cold start to the New Year across Eastern Iowa and Northwest ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-01-01 | Winter StormGrundy County · forecast zone Grundy One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. The seasons first winter storm struck Iowa during the New Years Weekend. A complex weather situation unfolded during the day on the first. The upper level system was broken in two pieces. The southern branch swept to the south of Iowa and produced the actual surface low pressure system. Another significant upper level ... | 2 | 0 | $35K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in Iowa
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-02-24 | Winter StormBlack Hawk County · forecast zone Black Hawk One storm episode: 46 records in 46 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $23M | |
| 2013-04-09 | Winter StormOsceola County · forecast zone Osceola One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places, 2013-04-09 to 2013-04-10; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $19M | |
| 1997-10-26 | Heavy SnowWarren County · forecast zone Warren One storm episode: 25 records in 25 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $17M | |
| 1997-10-25 | Heavy SnowPottawattamie County · forecast zone Pottawattamie One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $16M | |
| 2009-12-23 | Ice StormCarroll County · forecast zone Carroll One storm episode: 18 records in 18 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2007-02-24 | Ice StormBenton County · forecast zone Benton One storm episode: 15 records in 15 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $13M | |
| 2010-01-20 | Ice StormSac County · forecast zone Sac One storm episode: 11 records in 11 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 1 | $10M | |
| 2012-12-20 | BlizzardWright County · forecast zone Wright One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 7 | $4.3M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in Iowa?
Iowa's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Iowa | United States | Iowa's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 1,593 | 32,893 | 4.8% |
| 2000s | 3,853 | 88,805 | 4.3% |
| 2010s | 3,544 | 103,626 | 3.4% |
| 2020-26 | 1,756 | 62,015 | 2.8% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Iowa
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardIda County · forecast zone Ida | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardWoodbury County · forecast zone Woodbury | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardBuena Vista County · forecast zone Buena Vista | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardCherokee County · forecast zone Cherokee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardPlymouth County · forecast zone Plymouth | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardClay County · forecast zone Clay | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardO'Brien County · forecast zone O'brien | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardSioux County · forecast zone Sioux | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardDickinson County · forecast zone Dickinson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardOsceola County · forecast zone Osceola | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardLyon County · forecast zone Lyon | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardLee County · forecast zone Lee | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Iowa
FEMA has declared 9 disasters in Iowa for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 8 were major disasters, the latest on May 21, 2025.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4870 | Severe Winter Storm | 4 |
| 2013-05-06 | DR-4114 | Severe Winter Storm | 5 |
| 2010-03-02 | DR-1880 | Severe Winter Storm | 27 |
| 2010-02-25 | DR-1877 | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm | 27 |
| 2008-01-04 | DR-1737 | Severe Winter Storm | 30 |
| 2007-03-30 | EM-3275 | Snow | 30 |
| 2007-03-14 | DR-1688 | Severe Winter Storms | 48 |
| 1997-11-20 | DR-1191 | Severe Snowstorms | 13 |
| 1991-12-26 | DR-928 | Ice Storm | 44 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Dickinson County: the county's whole recordThe Iowa county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in IowaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Iowa17,986 records
- Hail in Iowa15,950 records
- Floods in Iowa7,383 records