May 19, 1998
A warm and humid air mass was located over Iowa during the afternoon of the 19th. Temperatures in this air were around 90 degrees F. Dew point temperatures were in the low to mid 70s, making for an unstable situation. A cold front was poised to the north of Iowa and was sagging southward slowly. Thunderstorms began to form over central Iowa during the mid afternoon hours. They formed rather quickly into a cluster of storms, with repeated development in the same areas. Most of the individua
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 5645897). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.
This event is one of many recorded floods in Jasper County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.