4,632 first-hand accounts of flood events in Iowa, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
A similar situation to what was in place on the early morning of the 19th took place during the afternoon and overnight of the the 19th into the 20th. In fact, the thunderstorm activity didn't really end between the two events.
Read the full account →Just as the first MCS from the previous night exited the state, another round of strong convection moved in from the northwest. The airmass remained quite unstable in spite of the activity from overnight as unstable air replaced the airmass over the state and reloaded the…
Read the full account →A warm front lifted northeast across Iowa during the day on the 7th as a cold front approached from the northwest. The cold front reached northwest Iowa by the early morning hours of the 8th, however a shortwave lifted northeast across the state during the afternoon and evening…
Read the full account →Thunderstorms continued to develop and move across the same areas. These repeated thunderstorms dumped copious amounts of rain across Carroll and Crawford Counties.
Read the full account →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.
Read the full account →A complex weather situation unfolded over Iowa. Initially, a stationary front was located to the south of the state. An upper low pressure system was poised to the southwest of Iowa and began to lift out.
Read the full account →A relatively small mesoscale convective system drifted into Iowa from the southwest during the morning of the 5th. No severe weather occurred in the state, but a steady and heavy rain did. Flash flooding was reported in Cass County with many roads and highways under water.
Read the full account →A relatively small mesoscale convective system drifted into Iowa from the southwest during the morning of the 5th. No severe weather occurred in the state, but a steady and heavy rain did. Flash flooding was reported in Cass County with many roads and highways under water.
Read the full account →Once again, a warm frontal boundary was located to the south of Iowa with very warm and unstable air just to the south of the front. Dew point temperatures were in the low 70s in the warm air. This moisture was drawn north over the frontal boundary, into Iowa.
Read the full account →Once again, a warm frontal boundary was located to the south of Iowa with very warm and unstable air just to the south of the front. Dew point temperatures were in the low 70s in the warm air. This moisture was drawn north over the frontal boundary, into Iowa.
Read the full account →A warm front extended from a low pressure area over northeast Nebraska, southeast through central into southeast Iowa. A cold front extended south from the low into Kansas. South of the warm front, dew point temperatures were in the low 70s.
Read the full account →A very hot and humid airmass was in place over Iowa. Surface temperatures were in the mid 90s to low 100s with dew point temperatures in the low to mid 70s. CAPE values were in the 7000 to 9000 J/kg range over most of the state.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
Read the full account →For the first time in well over a month all forecast points in the HSA fell below flood stage on May 18th, as Estherville finally fell below flood stage.
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