Mar 10, 2010
Warm weather arrived in central Iowa by the 8th and 9th of March. This caused rapid melt of the snow cover. Considerable ice remained on area rivers. An ice jam formed on the Raccoon River near Van Meter. The ice jam backed up for over 12 hours before breaking. Once it did, water flowed down the Raccoon River, pushing it over flood stage downstream to the mouth of the Raccoon at the Des Moines River. Though little damage occurred, a few streets were closed by flooding and ice chunks.
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 214771). 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.