Blizzard — Howard, Iowa

2025-12-28 to 2025-12-29 · Howard, Iowa

Event narrative

The combination of falling snow and wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph led to a period of very low visibilities during the afternoon and evening hours on December 28th in Howard County. During this period, a peak wind gust of 46 mph was observed in Saratoga. Snowfall totals across the county ranged from 3 to 4 inches.

Wider weather episode

An impactful winter storm brought strong winds and snow to portions of northeast Iowa throughout the afternoon and evening hours on December 28th. Snowfall totals across northeast Iowa ranged from 2 to 4 inches. In addition, the combination of wind gusts of 35 to 55 mph resulted in visibilities dropping to a quarter of a mile or less at times resulting in blizzard conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1306894. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.