Blizzard — O'brien, Iowa

2025-03-04 to 2025-03-05 · O'brien, Iowa

Event narrative

Snowfall only totaled 2.0 inches at Sheldon and Primghar and 1.2 inches at Sanborn, and northwest winds were sustained from 35 to 39 mph at times with gusts up to 52 mph at Sheldon. Wind and snowfall combined to result in widespread white-out conditions, especially in rural areas. Travel was not recommended during the height of blizzard conditions and U.S. Highway 18 was impassible for a time east of Sanborn.

Wider weather episode

A strong negatively tilted trough lifted northeast through the Central Plains and resulted in the rapid intensification of low pressure as it moved from Kansas to northern Illinois. Conditions started on the warmer side with mainly light rain, drizzle, and a few thunderstorms on the morning of March 4, but a quick transition to snow occurred by evening and was accompanied by a drastic increase in winds to 45 to 60 mph. While snowfall ended up generally 1 to 4 inches, the lack of snow cover prior to this system limited the areas for which the strong winds resulted in blizzard conditions. Much of southwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa, and far northeast Nebraska saw closed or impassible roads by the early morning of March 5. At the peak, around 1500 customers across northwest Iowa were without power due to high winds.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1251648. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.