Prolonged snowfall produced heavy accumulations of 1 to 2 feet in most of northwest Iowa. The snowfall took place from two days before to the day after Christmas. The snowfall was accompanied by increasing north to northwest winds which caused a blizzard with widespread very low visibilities near the Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers from Christmas day into the next day. Further east in Northwest Iowa, the very low visibilities due to the blowing snow were less widespread, but the heavy snow and drifting in the winter storm still made travel impossible for much of the time.

Winter Storm in DICKINSON, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 14:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Heavy snow over 3 days produced accumulations of 16 to 20 inches. Increasing north to northwest winds reached sustained speeds of 25 to 30 mph with gusts around 35 mph. This produced areas of visibilities below a quarter mile in blowing snow from Christmas day to the start of the next day, in addition to drifting the heavy snowfall. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Winter Storm in CLAY, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 14:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow over 3 days produced accumulations of 16 to 20 inches, including 20 inches just outside of Spencer. Increasing north to northwest winds reached sustained speeds of 25 to 30 mph with gusts around 35 mph. This produced areas of visibilities below a quarter mile in blowing snow from Christmas day to the start of the next day, in addition to drifting the heavy snowfall. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Blizzard in WOODBURY, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 14:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow combined with increasing winds to produce widespread blizzard conditions. The snowfall over 3 days varied from 16 to 22 inches, including 21 inches at Sioux City. North to northwest winds reached sustained speeds around 30 mph and there were gusts around 40 mph. These winds combined with the heavy snowfall to produce widespread visibilities below a quarter mile from Christmas day to the start of the next day. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Blizzard in SIOUX, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 13:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow combined with increasing winds to produce widespread blizzard conditions. The snowfall over 3 days varied from 16 to 22 inches, including 21 inches at Rock Valley. North to northwest winds reached sustained speeds around 30 mph and there were gusts around 40 mph. These winds combined with the heavy snowfall to produce widespread visibilities below a quarter mile from Christmas day to the start of the next day. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Winter Storm in BUENA VISTA, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 14:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow over 3 days produced accumulations of 14 to 20 inches, including 18 inches 6 miles east of Sioux Rapids. Increasing north to northwest winds reached sustained speeds of 25 to 30 mph with gusts around 35 mph. This produced areas of visibilities below a quarter mile in blowing snow from Christmas day to the start of the next day, in addition to drifting the heavy snowfall. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Winter Storm in OSCEOLA, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 13:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow over 3 days produced accumulations of 16 to 22 inches. Increasing north to northwest winds reached sustained speeds of 25 to 30 mph with gusts around 35 mph. This produced areas of visibilities below a quarter mile in blowing snow from Christmas day to the start of the next day, in addition to drifting the heavy snowfall. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Winter Storm in O'BRIEN, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 13:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow over 3 days produced accumulations of 16 to 22 inches, including 21 inches at Sanborn. Increasing north to northwest winds reached sustained speeds of 25 to 30 mph with gusts around 35 mph. This produced areas of visibilities below a quarter mile in blowing snow from Christmas day to the start of the next day, in addition to drifting the heavy snowfall. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Winter Storm in CHEROKEE, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 14:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow over 3 days produced accumulations of 14 to 20 inches, including 18.5 inches at the town of Cherokee. Increasing north to northwest winds reached sustained speeds of 25 to 30 mph with gusts around 35 mph. This produced areas of visibilities below a quarter mile in blowing snow from Christmas day to the start of the next day, in addition to drifting the heavy snowfall. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Winter Storm in IDA, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 14:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow over 3 days produced accumulations of 16 to 20 inches, including 18 inches at Holstein. Increasing north to northwest winds reached sustained speeds of 25 to 30 mph with gusts around 35 mph. This produced areas of visibilities below a quarter mile in blowing snow from Christmas day to the start of the next day, in addition to drifting the heavy snowfall. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Blizzard in PLYMOUTH, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 14:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

Heavy snow combined with increasing winds to produce widespread blizzard conditions. The snowfall over 3 days varied from 14 to 20 inches, including 18 inches at Akron. North to northwest winds reached sustained speeds around 30 mph and there were gusts around 40 mph. These winds combined with the heavy snowfall to produce widespread visibilities below a quarter mile from Christmas day to the start of the next day. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.

Blizzard in LYON, IOWA
From 23-DEC-09 13:00:00 to 26-DEC-09 12:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Heavy snow combined with increasing winds to produce widespread blizzard conditions. The snowfall over 3 days varied from 16 to 22 inches. North to northwest winds reached sustained speeds around 30 mph and there were gusts around 40 mph. These winds combined with the heavy snowfall to produce widespread visibilities below a quarter mile from Christmas day to the start of the next day. Most roads were blocked and travel was brought to a standstill, as was the limited holiday commerce.