4,632 first-hand accounts of flood events in Iowa, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
Heavy rains during the first week of July resulted in the Wapsipinicon River at Independence going above the moderate flood stage level of 13 feet on July 7 around 840 pm CDT. It crested around 15.6 feet around 7 am CDT July 8.
Read the full account →Warm weather arrived in central Iowa by the 8th and 9th of March. This caused rapid melt of the snow cover. Considerable ice remained on area rivers. An ice jam formed on the Raccoon River near Van Meter. The ice jam backed up for over 12 hours before breaking.
Read the full account →Heavy rainfall across northern Iowa and southern Minnesota sent a wave of flood water south along the Des Moines River The upper reaches flooded earlier in the month with the water reaching farther south after mid month.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms produced rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches in two hours, which led to flash flooding. According to law enforcement officials, numerous roads were covered with water 6 to 12 inches deep.
Read the full account →Cloudy skies along with scattered showers and thunderstorms continued across much of the area August 27. While most locations saw rainfall amounts ranging from a few tenths of an inch up to 2 to 3 inches, a heavier band or rain fell from Cedar Rapids to Dubuque.
Read the full account →Widespread flooding from June continued along several river systems across the state into July. For the most part, rivers crested early and then fell slowly during the first week of the month.
Read the full account →Widespread flooding from June continued along several river systems across the state into July. For the most part, rivers crested early and then fell slowly during the first week of the month.
Read the full account →Widespread flooding from June continued along several river systems across the state into July. For the most part, rivers crested early and then fell slowly during the first week of the month.
Read the full account →Heavy rains during the last week of August resulted in the North Skunk River at Sigourney going above the moderate flood stage level of 18 feet on August 27 around 5 pm. It crested around 20.53 feet around 1245 pm August 28.
Read the full account →A very warm and humid airmass was in place over Iowa on the 11th. During the previous two days, strong capping was in place across the state. A cold front began to move into the state on the 11th as upper level heights and temperatures began to fall.
Read the full account →A very warm and humid airmass was in place over Iowa on the 11th. During the previous two days, strong capping was in place across the state. A cold front began to move into the state on the 11th as upper level heights and temperatures began to fall.
Read the full account →Iowa was under a hot and unstable airmass during the afternoon and evening of the 15th. Precipitable water values rose into the 2 to 2.3 inch range with surface dewpoints in the upper 70s.
Read the full account →Iowa was under a hot and unstable airmass during the afternoon and evening of the 15th. Precipitable water values rose into the 2 to 2.3 inch range with surface dewpoints in the upper 70s.
Read the full account →A strong push of moisture took place during the overnight hours of the 24th into the morning of the 25th. The low level jet increased to 60 kts, bringing a return of moisture to the area. Precipitable water values increased to just under 2 inches by morning.
Read the full account →A strong push of moisture took place during the overnight hours of the 24th into the morning of the 25th. The low level jet increased to 60 kts, bringing a return of moisture to the area. Precipitable water values increased to just under 2 inches by morning.
Read the full account →A dynamic pattern was once again in place over the central U.S. A strong surge of moisture took place during the day on the 26th, with precipitable water values rising to over 2 inches by evening.
Read the full account →A dynamic pattern was once again in place over the central U.S. A strong surge of moisture took place during the day on the 26th, with precipitable water values rising to over 2 inches by evening.
Read the full account →Convection percolated along a warm front across the area through the morning. By afternoon, storms re-strengthened as as daytime heating helped enhance instability. Despite good instability with MLCAPE over nearing 2000 J/kg, lapse rates were modest and speed shear was weak.
Read the full account →Two rounds of convection moved across Iowa in quick succession beginning in the pre-dawn hours of July 12th. This first was an area of convection that developed along an elevated boundary into northwest Iowa.
Read the full account →A weakening upper level low pressure area moved into far southeast South Dakota by early evening. Slow moving thunderstorms developed within a very narrow axis which nosed into Buena Vista County, where the environment featured maximized and collocated 0-3km shear and 0-3km…
Read the full account →A significant rain event occurred late Friday into Saturday across extreme southeast Iowa. A slow moving mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) tracked over eastern Lee and Des Moines Counties and brought very heavy rain in a short amount of time.
Read the full account →A significant rain event occurred late Friday into Saturday across extreme southeast Iowa. A slow moving mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) tracked over eastern Lee and Des Moines Counties and brought very heavy rain in a short amount of time.
Read the full account →A weakening upper level low pressure area moved into far southeast South Dakota by early evening. Slow moving thunderstorms developed within a very narrow axis which nosed into Buena Vista County, where the environment featured maximized and collocated 0-3km shear and 0-3km…
Read the full account →A considerable amount of snow had accumulated during the previous winter across northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. As the snow melted, river levels rose across northern Iowa with numerous sites reaching minor to moderate flood levels.
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