4,632 first-hand accounts of flood events in Iowa, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
Part I: Several rivers went into flood as heavy rainfall, heavy snow and resultant melting snow all led to higher streamflows in the latter half of April across portions of central and northern Iowa.
Read the full account →After repeated rounds of heavy rain associated with a stationary frontal boundary, record flooding on the Maquoketa River resulted in the failure of the earthen berm on the south side of the Lake Delhi/Hartwick Lake dam during the late morning and afternoon of July 24.
Read the full account →The hits just kept on rolling, with yet another pair of rounds of strong to severe storms, heavy rainfall, and flooding. Through much of the end of May, the synoptic setup across the region remained relatively unchanged, including this event.
Read the full account →A boundary was pushing through the state with ongoing convection through central Iowa through the day. As the boundary neared the area, the convection intensified and impacted central and southern Iowa in the evening to early morning hours.
Read the full account →Without even looking at supporting variables, the setup for impactful weather could be gleaned from the general setup. A weak surface pressure system was slowly working its way across Iowa, situating its relevant boundaries primarily across southwest and southern Iowa.
Read the full account →After a very brief reprieve from multiple days of activity, another round of storms greeted large parts of central Iowa during the very early morning hours of the 14th, through the rest of the morning, and into the afternoon.
Read the full account →A weak, occluded surface low pressure system was situated northwest of the area with its associated boundaries draped across western and southern Iowa.
Read the full account →After a very brief reprieve from multiple days of activity, another round of storms greeted large parts of central Iowa during the very early morning hours of the 14th, through the rest of the morning, and into the afternoon.
Read the full account →A frontal boundary was draped across areas just west of Iowa during the morning hours of June 30th, and slowly moved eastward into the state throughout the day.
Read the full account →A weak, relatively stationary, boundary found itself across portions of western and central Iowa during the evening and overnight hours of the 1st into the 2nd.
Read the full account →A weak, relatively stationary, boundary found itself across portions of western and central Iowa during the evening and overnight hours of the 1st into the 2nd.
Read the full account →Wet conditions continued across the state with yet another round of moderate to heavy rainfall on top of already mostly saturated conditions. A shortwave moving through the upper level flow out of the southwest, a surface front situated to the west and northwest of the state,…
Read the full account →Wet conditions continued across the state with yet another round of moderate to heavy rainfall on top of already mostly saturated conditions. A shortwave moving through the upper level flow out of the southwest, a surface front situated to the west and northwest of the state,…
Read the full account →Heavy rainfall continued to affect the Midwest and portions of Iowa, though fortunately no severe weather (hail, winds, etc...) were experienced with this event.
Read the full account →A boundary was pushing through the state with ongoing convection through central Iowa through the day. As the boundary neared the area, the convection intensified and impacted central and southern Iowa in the evening to early morning hours.
Read the full account →A weak, relatively stationary, boundary found itself across portions of western and central Iowa during the evening and overnight hours of the 1st into the 2nd.
Read the full account →A weak, relatively stationary, boundary found itself across portions of western and central Iowa during the evening and overnight hours of the 1st into the 2nd.
Read the full account →Iowa remained entrenched in the relative ring of fire weather pattern. Morning convection lingered across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa through the morning, before generally subsiding.
Read the full account →Without even looking at supporting variables, the setup for impactful weather could be gleaned from the general setup. A weak surface pressure system was slowly working its way across Iowa, situating its relevant boundaries primarily across southwest and southern Iowa.
Read the full account →After a very brief reprieve from multiple days of activity, another round of storms greeted large parts of central Iowa during the very early morning hours of the 14th, through the rest of the morning, and into the afternoon.
Read the full account →Very heavy rain fell across the Des Moines and Waterloo metro areas on the evening of June 30th. This led to flash flooding and river flooding that continued into 01 July 2018.
Read the full account →Heavy rainfall continued to affect the Midwest and portions of Iowa, though fortunately no severe weather (hail, winds, etc...) were experienced with this event.
Read the full account →A weak, relatively stationary, boundary found itself across portions of western and central Iowa during the evening and overnight hours of the 1st into the 2nd.
Read the full account →More heavy rainfall was seen across the area, primarily situated over the northern third of the state, as a surface boundary sat across central Iowa and a shortwave moved through the upper level flow.
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