Mar 10, 2010
Rapid snow melt after a long period of sub-freezing weather resulted in ice jams along the Raccoon River. Ice began jamming near the Van Meter area during the evening of the 9th. Water backed up in fields downstream of Van Meter. The ice jam began to break shortly before 0400 CST. Water rushed down the river during the early morning hours, flooding George Flagg Parkway in Des Moines by 0705 CST. At the Fleur Drive river gauge, water levels rose 5 feet in 15 minutes as the lead wave of water
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 210183). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.
This event is one of many recorded floods in Polk County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.