Ice storm grips Iowa

Ice hangs from street signs, and everything else in Des Moines today.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Charlie Neibergall - AP)

A major ice storm is gripping the state of Iowa today. Up to an inch of ice is snapping tree limbs and downing power lines in the Hawkeye State. Widespread power outages are reported throughout the state. The hardest hit areas are in the western half of Iowa, where half an inch to 1 inch freezing rain reports are common.

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Up to an inch of ice covers parts of western Iowa today.

Here are some of the extensive list of storm reports today from the Des Moines NWS.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA

341 PM CST WED JAN 20 2010

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...

..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....

..REMARKS..

0433 AM FREEZING RAIN ATLANTIC 41.40N 95.01W

01/20/2010 M0.30 INCH CASS IA BROADCAST MEDIA

MEASURED AND REPORTED BY KJAN RADIO. SPORADIC POWER

OUTAGES REPORTED IN TOWN AS WELL.

0514 AM ICE STORM ATLANTIC 41.40N 95.01W

01/20/2010 CASS IA EMERGENCY MNGR

ONE QUARTER INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION. NUMEROUS POWER

LINES DOWN AROUND TOWN WITH POWER OUTAGES.

0516 AM ICE STORM ESE GRAY 41.84N 94.98W

01/20/2010 AUDUBON IA TRAINED SPOTTER

ONE QUARTER INCH ICE ACCUMULATION. FOUR INCH TREE LIMBS

DOWN...POWER LINES SAGGING ONTO HIGHWAYS WITH POWER

OUTAGES. POWERLINE SAGGING ONTO HIGHWAY 71.

0618 AM FREEZING RAIN ATLANTIC 41.40N 95.01W

01/20/2010 E0.40 INCH CASS IA BROADCAST MEDIA

NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES BEING REPORTED. MEASURED AND

REPORTED BY KJAN RADIO.

0636 AM FREEZING RAIN MURRAY 41.04N 93.95W

01/20/2010 E0.30 INCH CLARKE IA TRAINED SPOTTER

SAGGING TREES. SOME LIGHTNING AND THUNDER REPORTED.

0700 AM FREEZING RAIN NNW AUDUBON AIRPORT 41.71N 94.92W

01/20/2010 E0.50 INCH AUDUBON IA CO-OP OBSERVER

0.5 INCHES OF ICE ACCUMULATION FROM FREEZING RAIN...UP TO

1.5 INCHES OF ICE ACCUMULATION ON TOP OF HOAR FROST

0929 AM ICE STORM BEACON 41.27N 92.68W

01/20/2010 MAHASKA IA LAW ENFORCEMENT

SEVERAL POWERLINES DOWN THROUGHOUT THE TOWN OF BEACON.

0930 AM FREEZING RAIN OTTUMWA 41.02N 92.42W

01/20/2010 M0.25 INCH WAPELLO IA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

1/4 TO 1/2 INCHES OF SLEET ON TOP OF THE 1/4 INCH OF ICE

ACCRUAL

0938 AM ICE STORM KNOXVILLE 41.32N 93.10W

01/20/2010 MARION IA EMERGENCY MNGR

LARGE 3 TO 4 INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMBS DOWN. SPORADIC

SMALLER CABLES TAKEN DOWN IN KNOXVILLE. PONDING OF WATER

ON STREETS DUE TO CLOGGED STORM DRAINS IN PELLA AND

KNOXVILLE.

0938 AM FREEZING RAIN TAMA 41.96N 92.57W

01/20/2010 E0.25 INCH TAMA IA LAW ENFORCEMENT

TOWN OF LINCOLN WITHOUT POWER

1030 AM ICE STORM SAC CITY 42.42N 95.00W

01/20/2010 SAC IA LAW ENFORCEMENT

WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES THROUGHOUT SAC COUNTY DUE TO

DOWNED POWERLINES AND TREE LIMBS.

1036 AM ICE STORM CARROLL 42.07N 94.86W

01/20/2010 CARROLL IA LAW ENFORCEMENT

TONS OF POWERLINES AND TREE LIMBS DOWN WITH THE LARGEST

TREE LIMBS BLOCKING MULTIPLE ROADS THROUGHOUT THE TOWN OF

CARROLL...AND ACROSS THE COUNTY.

1100 AM FREEZING RAIN 6 WNW MANILLA 41.91N 95.34W

01/20/2010 M1.00 INCH CRAWFORD IA TRAINED SPOTTER

ICE ACCUMULATION

1152 AM FREEZING RAIN CORNING 40.99N 94.74W

01/20/2010 M0.62 INCH ADAMS IA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

1/2 TO 5/8 INCHES OF ICE ACCRUAL

1155 AM FREEZING RAIN DES MOINES INT AIRPORT 41.53N 93.66W

01/20/2010 M0.30 INCH POLK IA OFFICIAL NWS OBS

1257 PM FREEZING RAIN 4 E AUDUBON AIRPORT 41.70N 94.84W

01/20/2010 M0.75 INCH AUDUBON IA TRAINED SPOTTER

1257 PM ICE STORM 4 E AUDUBON AIRPORT 41.70N 94.84W

01/20/2010 AUDUBON IA TRAINED SPOTTER

MULTIPLE HUGE TREE LIMBS DOWN...GENERALLY 5 TO 6 INCHES

IN DIAMETER. ESTIMATED ABOUT 2 INCHES OF ICE/HOAR FROST

ACCUMULATED ON POWERLINES. 6 TO 7 POWER POLES DOWN ALONG

THE T-BONE HIGHWAY.

0100 PM FREEZING RAIN 1 SW OTTUMWA 41.01N 92.43W

01/20/2010 E1.00 INCH WAPELLO IA TRAINED SPOTTER

0125 PM ICE STORM 2 NE JEFFERSON 42.04N 94.34W

01/20/2010 GREENE IA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

SEVERAL 4 INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMBS DOWN WITH MULTIPLE

MATURE TREES SAGGING OVER ACROSS THE COUNTY. POWERLINES

DOWN.

0158 PM ICE STORM 1 NNE SAC CITY 42.44N 94.98W

01/20/2010 SAC IA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

TONS OF 6 INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMBS DOWN ACROSS THE

COUNTY. WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES.

0245 PM HEAVY SLEET ELDORA 42.36N 93.10W

01/20/2010 E1.00 INCH HARDIN IA LAW ENFORCEMENT

0.75 TO 1.00 INCHES OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET MIX

0252 PM HEAVY SLEET 2 ESE IOWA FALLS 42.50N 93.23W

01/20/2010 E1.00 INCH HARDIN IA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET MIX

0256 PM ICE STORM NNE WINDSOR HEIGHTS 41.60N 93.71W

01/20/2010 POLK IA NWS EMPLOYEE

0.30 INCHES OF ICE.

0259 PM FREEZING RAIN 1 WSW POCAHONTAS 42.73N 94.69W

01/20/2010 E0.38 INCH POCAHONTAS IA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

0.25 TO 0.50 INCHES OF ICE ACCRUAL

The wave repsonsible for the freezing rain is weakening as it moves north into Minnesota tonight. There still may be some patchy freezing drizzle through Thursday morning from the Twin Cities south and east.

PH