Blizzard — Plymouth, Iowa

2009-12-08 to 2009-12-09 · Plymouth, Iowa

Event narrative

New snowfall of 5 to 7 inches was accompanied by north to northwest winds sustained at 30 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph. These strong winds produced widespread blizzard conditions beginning a little after midnight on December 9th. Schools and many businesses were closed on December 9th, as the snowfall and near zero visibilities made travel impossible that morning. Blizzard conditions abated that afternoon as winds steadily decreased, although hazardous wind chills which began during the blizzard continued that night and into the early morning of December 10th. Actual new snowfall reports included 6 inches at Le Mars and 5.5 inches at Akron. Prior to the blizzard conditions, several vehicle accidents were reported, including a collision on U.S. Highway 75 that resulted in a fatality.

Wider weather episode

Snowfall of 4 to 10 inches over all of northwest Iowa was accompanied by north to northwest winds sustained at 30 to 40 mph, with some gusts over 50 mph. The combination of snow and strong winds created widespread blizzard conditions with visibilities near zero. The blizzard closed schools and businesses and halted travel. The snowfall began on the morning of December 8th, and numerous vehicle accidents were reported that day. The winds increased during the evening of the 8th, and became strong enough to cause the blizzard after midnight on December 9th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 204506. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.