Jul 24, 1997
A very unstable air mass was located over Iowa as a warm front extended from southeast Nebraska into central South Dakota. A narrot line of thunderstorms formed across Iowa with intense lightning and very heavy rainfall of over 2 inches per hour for a time. A band of rainfall in the 3 to 6 inch range fell from northwest Polk County, south to Appanoose County. The ground was very dry at the time and thus most flooding was restricted to agricultural and in urban areas.
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 5603124). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.
This event is one of many recorded floods in Wayne County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.