Ice Storm — Benton, Iowa

2007-02-24 · Benton, Iowa

Wider weather episode

A widespread and crippling ice/snow storm affected eastern Iowa, northwest and western Illinois, and extreme northeast Missouri on February 24, 2007. This massive ice storm was the worst to affect the region since January 22-23, 1965. Ice accumulations of around one inch were common, with some reports to near two inches! To make matters worse, east winds gusting over 50 mph, combined with the heavy ice accumulation, brought down numerous tree branches and power lines, along with several thousand power poles. There were even whole trees crashing down from the weight of the ice. Widespread power outages occurred, affecting over 180,000 people, which lasted more than a week in some of the rural areas. Many shelters were opened to accommodate those without power. The governor of Iowa declared much of the state a disaster area, and requested President Bush to declare much of eastern Iowa a federal disaster area. In the northern portions of the region in the colder air, snow was the problem. Accumulations of up to 7 inches occurred, with strong winds combining to create blizzard conditions. Considering the magnitude of the storm, remarkably no direct deaths were reported.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 15938. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.