Winter Weather — Mitchell, Iowa

2026-01-21 · Mitchell, Iowa

Event narrative

The combination of strong winds of 35 to 45 mph and accumulating snow resulted in a period of blowing snow across Mitchell County that reduced visibilities to under 1/2 mile at times. Additionally, snowfall accumulations of 1 to 3 inches were observed throughout the county on January 21st.

Wider weather episode

The combination of strong winds and accumulating snowfall resulted in a brief period of near-whiteout conditions across portions of northeast Iowa. While snowfall amounts generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches, 35 to 45 mph wind gusts resulted in a period of visibilities of 1/2 mile or lower during the afternoon and evening on January 21st.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1313604. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.