Feb 19, 2011
The spring melt was well in progress on the morning of the 19th. The ice on the Des Moines River in Fort Dodge began to break up during the early morning hours. The ice jammed in town at a point that typically has ice jam flooding each year. Water levels rose several feet within under 2 hours. The river crested about 2 feet over flood stage at the official gage. Levels were higher upstream with flooding in the Breen housing development reportedly worse than the flooding of the previous year
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 273972). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.
This event is one of many recorded floods in Webster County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.