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Many longtime Iowans have memories of snowy state basketball tournaments. It’s now been a quarter century since the snowiest of all. On Monday, March 8, 1999, a powerful winter storm swept into Iowa, blanketing much of the state with more than a foot of heavy, wet snow over the course of two days. Very few spectators were able to attend opening day of girls' state basketball action at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Many who did make it to Des Moines spent that night in town, avoiding treacherous travel home. West-central Iowa recorded some of the heaviest snow, with amounts reaching 16 inches in Carroll and 14 inches in Audubon. Just over 12 inches of snow fell in Des Moines. At the time, it was the highest two-day snowfall in March on record. Five years later, 13 inches of snow would fall on the capital city in mid-March 2004, knocking the 1999 storm down to No. 2 all time. The 1999 state tournament still stands as the snowiest in high school girls' basketball history. 2024 Iowa girls state basketball tournamentState results, schedules for all five classesHow to watch and livestream games from Wells Fargo ArenaVideos from snowy 1999 girls state basketball tournamentFrom 1999: Vets Auditorium was mostly empty for girls state basketball after major snowstormFrom 1999: Snowstorm strands girls state basketball fans in Des Moines