A large and relatively slow moving storm brought a prolonged winter storm and even, for a time, blizzard conditions to eastern Nebraska and western Iowa from late on Dec. 7th through the early morning hours of Dec. 9th.  The storm was driven by an upper level disturbance that tracked from the west coast across the Rockies and deepened over the Mississippi River valley.  The heaviest snow fell in advance of when the stronger winds arrived, mainly during the morning and afternoon of Dec. 8th.  However, as the winds increased to 30 to 50 mph during the night of the 8th and early on the 9th, visibilities frequently dropped to near zero, especially in open areas.  Considerable drifting snow also occurred, in many cases closing roads back shut almost as fast as they could be opened.  This prompted many counties to pull snow plows off the roads for a while during the night of the 8th and 9th.  Many schools were closed for 3 days because of the storm, due the forecast of heavy snow to begin on the 7th, poor visibilities and roads drifted shut on the 8th and still some closed roads and bitter cold wind chills which followed the storm on the 9th.
Total snowfall from the storm was 6 to 15 inches over most of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.  Higher amounts in eastern Nebraska included 15 inches in Union, 14 inches in Columbus, around 12 inches at the NWS in Valley, at Tekamah, Uehling, Steele City and Weeping Water.  In western Iowa heavier amounts included 12 inches in Clarinda and Hastings and around 11 inches in Harlan, Red Oak and Little Sioux.

Winter Storm in FREMONT, IOWA
From 07-DEC-09 21:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 10 inches measured in Shenandoah. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or so were observed with a peak gust of 44 mph measured at Shenandoah.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th, which closed many county roads.

Winter Storm in MONTGOMERY, IOWA
From 07-DEC-09 23:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 11.3 inches measured in Red Oak. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 35 to 40 mph were observed with a peak gust measured at 40 mph Red Oak.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th, which closed many county roads.

Winter Storm in MONONA, IOWA
From 08-DEC-09 00:30:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 10 inches measured in Onawa and 8.3 inches at Mapleton.  The snow began shortly after midnight on 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or more were observed based on measurements from surrounding counties.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th, which closed many county roads.

Winter Storm in SHELBY, IOWA
From 07-DEC-09 23:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 10:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 11 inches measured in Harlan. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or more were observed with a peak gust of 48 mph measured in Harlan.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions during the evening and morning hours of the 8th and 9th, which closed many county roads.

Winter Storm in HARRISON, IOWA
From 07-DEC-09 23:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 10.4 inches measured near Little Sioux and 8.5 inches measured at Logan.  The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or so were observed based on observations from surrounding sites.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th, which closed many county roads.

Blizzard in PAGE, IOWA
From 09-DEC-09 00:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 12 inches measured in Clarinda and 10 inches measured in Shenandoah. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or so were observed with a peak gust of 44 mph measured at Shenandoah and 40 mph at Clarinda.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with visibilities frequently below 1/4 mile during the early morning hours of the 9th.  The blowing and drifting snow also closed many county roads.

Winter Storm in PAGE, IOWA
From 07-DEC-09 21:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 12 inches measured in Clarinda and 10 inches measured in Shenandoah. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or so were observed with a peak gust of 44 mph measured at Shenandoah and 40 mph at Clarinda.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th, which closed many county roads.

Blizzard in MONTGOMERY, IOWA
From 08-DEC-09 23:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 11.3 inches measured in Red Oak. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 35 to 40 mph were observed with a peak gust measured at 40 mph Red Oak.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with visibilities frequently reduced below 1/4 mile during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th, which closed many county roads.

Blizzard in SHELBY, IOWA
From 08-DEC-09 23:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 11 inches measured in Harlan. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or more were observed with a peak gust of 48 mph measured in Harlan.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow which frequently reduced visibilities below 1/4 mile during the evening and morning hours of the 8th and 9th.  The blowing and drifting snow also closed many county roads.

Blizzard in MONONA, IOWA
From 08-DEC-09 22:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 10 inches measured in Onawa and 8.3 inches at Mapleton.  The snow began shortly after midnight on 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or more were observed based on measurements from surrounding counties.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with visibilities frequently reduced below 1/4 mile during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th.  The blowing and drifting snow also closed many county roads and caused at least one accident when a semi tractor-trailer ran into a snow plow on Interstate 29 causing almost $20,000 in damage.

Blizzard in POTTAWATTAMIE, IOWA
From 08-DEC-09 22:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 10 inches measured in Underwood and 9.5 inches in Oakland.  The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or more were observed with a peak gust of 43 mph measured at Council Bluffs. The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow which reduced visibilities to 1/4 mile or less during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th. Drifts of 5 feet were observed, according to Emergency Management, which closed many county roads and a few highways.

Winter Storm in MILLS, IOWA
From 07-DEC-09 23:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 11.6 inches measured in Hastings. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or more were observed based on observations from surrounding sites. The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th, which closed many county roads.

Winter Storm in POTTAWATTAMIE, IOWA
From 07-DEC-09 23:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 10 inches measured in Underwood and 9.5 inches in Oakland.  The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or more were observed with a peak gust of 43 mph measured at Council Bluffs. The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th. Drifts of 5 feet were observed, according to Emergency Management, which closed many county roads and a few highways.

Blizzard in HARRISON, IOWA
From 08-DEC-09 22:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 05:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 10.4 inches measured near Little Sioux and 8.5 inches measured at Logan.  The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or so were observed based on observations from surrounding sites.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions during the evening and early morning hours of the 8th and 9th, which closed many county roads.

Blizzard in FREMONT, IOWA
From 09-DEC-09 00:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 10 inches measured in Shenandoah. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or so were observed with a peak gust of 44 mph measured at Shenandoah.  The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with visibilities frequently reduced below 1/4 mile during the early morning hours of the 9th.  The blowing and drifting snow closed many county roads.

Blizzard in MILLS, IOWA
From 08-DEC-09 23:00:00 to 09-DEC-09 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Snowfall of 8 to 12 inches fell across much of the county from this storm with 11.6 inches measured in Hastings. The snow began during the late evening of 12/7 and continued into the early morning hours of 12/9.  Winds were not that strong when the snow started, but north winds increased during the afternoon of 12/8 and especially that evening into the next morning.  Frequent wind gusts of 40 mph or more were observed based on observations from surrounding sites. The winds produced considerable blowing and drifting snow with visibilities frequently reduced below 1/4 mile during the late evening of the 8th into the early morning hours of the 9th.  The blowing and drifting snow also closed many county roads.