Blizzard — O'brien, Iowa

2025-03-19 · O'brien, Iowa

Event narrative

There was a very sharp gradient in snowfall across the county with the highest amounts across the southeast corner. Snowfall totaled 5.2 inches 4.5 miles north-northwest of Cherokee and 2.5 inches 7.0 miles south of Spencer, while only 0.5 inches was reported at Primghar. Northwest winds gusted between 35 and 50 mph with a peak gust within the snow band of 44 mph reported by an Iowa State University mesonet site near Sutherland. The combination of snow and wind resulted in widespread white-out conditions, especially in rural areas. Travel was not advised.

Wider weather episode

A strong Colorado Low moved through the Central Plains and Mid-Mississippi River Valley on March 19. After initial light rain showers, a heavy band of snow developed across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa with 7 to 10 inches of accumulation. On the northwest side of the band, there was a very sharp cutoff in snowfall.

Heavy snow, when combined with widespread northwest wind gusts from 35 to 65 mph, resulted in white-out conditions across northwest Iowa and northeast Nebraska. Travel was not advised in the blizzard area with thousands of reported power outages and numerous school closures. Interstate 29 was closed from Sioux City, IA to Missouri Valley, IA and it took through the following day for roads to be opened and power to be restored for most residents.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1246964. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.