Winter Storm — Jefferson, Iowa

2020-12-29 to 2020-12-30 · Jefferson, Iowa

Event narrative

Snowfall reports ranged from 4.0 inches from the COOP observer 1 mile north northeast of Fairfield to a public report of 5.0 inches 1 mile southwest of Perlee. There was also a public report of 0.25 inches of ice accumulation 1 mile southwest of Perlee.

Wider weather episode

A potent winter storm produced widespread heavy snow, along with freezing rain and sleet, across the region in the afternoon of the 29th and into the early morning hours of the 30th. 8 to 12 inches of snow fell in the heaviest band between Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 20. The highest freezing rain accumulations occurred along the U.S. Highway 34 corridor from Fairfield, IA to Oquawka, IL, where 0.2 to 0.3 inches of glaze ice was reported. Thunderstorms also occurred in eastern Iowa Tuesday evening, and resulted in extreme snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour. Key impacts: transportation delays and traffic accidents, along with some isolated power outages.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 933793. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.