4,632 first-hand accounts of flood events in Iowa, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
Supercell thunderstorms developed in the evening hours and formed an organized cluster around Waterloo, Iowa. As the storms moved southeast through Eastern Iowa they interacted with boundaries and produced 6 tornadoes with widespread wind damage in the Cedar Rapids metropolitan…
Read the full account →Once again it was a very active severe weather day over Iowa. The frontal system that had moved through the state on the night of the 22nd was returning north as a warm front. This time Iowa did not get completely into the warm sector.
Read the full account →A weak cold front settled southeast into Iowa during the evening hours. The airmass ahead of the front was marginally unstable with lifted indices of -4 to -5 and CAPE values in the 2000 to 3000 J/kg range.
Read the full account →A very unstable airmass was over Iowa during the afternoon of the 3rd. A cold front sank into northern Iowa during the afternoon. Numerous outflow boundaries were located over the state from previous convection as well.
Read the full account →A weak cold front settled southeast into Iowa during the evening hours. The airmass ahead of the front was marginally unstable with lifted indices of -4 to -5 and CAPE values in the 2000 to 3000 J/kg range.
Read the full account →A weak cold front settled southeast into Iowa during the evening hours. The airmass ahead of the front was marginally unstable with lifted indices of -4 to -5 and CAPE values in the 2000 to 3000 J/kg range.
Read the full account →A very unstable airmass was over Iowa during the afternoon of the 3rd. A cold front sank into northern Iowa during the afternoon. Numerous outflow boundaries were located over the state from previous convection as well.
Read the full account →Strong to severe storms developed north of a stationary front across Iowa and Northern Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours. A strong low level jet continuously pumped copious amounts of moisture over the front that resulted in heavy rain and flash flooding.
Read the full account →A moderately unstable airmass was in place across Iowa ahead of an approaching cold front. The airmass was tropical in nature with a clear tropical connection evident on satellite pictures. Precipitable water values were in the 2 to 2.5 inch range by mid afternoon.
Read the full account →An upper level low pressure system lifted northeast into the central U.S. out of the Monsoonal flow in the southwest U.S. The low was slow moving as it advanced across the area.
Read the full account →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 →A very unstable airmass remained in place across Iowa on the evening of the 6th with an east-west boundary lying across the mid section of the state.
Read the full account →A seasonally strong cold front moved southeast into the state during the afternoon and evening hours of the 28th. There was a strong contrast across the front with highs in the low 90s south of the front with dew points in the low to mid 70s, and temperatures in the 60s and 70s…
Read the full account →A seasonally strong cold front moved southeast into the state during the afternoon and evening hours of the 28th. There was a strong contrast across the front with highs in the low 90s south of the front with dew points in the low to mid 70s, and temperatures in the 60s and 70s…
Read the full account →A nearly stationary frontal boundary remained draped east to west across Iowa once again. The atmosphere became very unstable during the afternoon with highs reaching the upper 80s to low 90s and dew points in the mid 70s to the south of the front.
Read the full account →A nearly stationary frontal boundary remained draped east to west across Iowa once again. The atmosphere became very unstable during the afternoon with highs reaching the upper 80s to low 90s and dew points in the mid 70s to the south of the front.
Read the full account →A very unstable airmass was in place over Iowa during the evening of the 4th. CAPE values were in the 2000 to 4000 J/kg range with lifted indices around -6. A warm front extended from low pressure over northwest Iowa, southeast into the south east sections of the state.
Read the full account →As the storms that produced the flash flooding during the previous night moved off, an MCS that moved across South Dakota during the night moved into northwest Iowa.
Read the full account →As the storms that produced the flash flooding during the previous night moved off, an MCS that moved across South Dakota during the night moved into northwest Iowa.
Read the full account →Several rounds of heavy rain-producing showers and thunderstorms moved across eastern Iowa and west central Illinois from 12:00 am June 22nd until approximately 6:00 am June 23rd. This occurred on already saturated ground from heavy rains on June 21st.
Read the full account →Several rounds of heavy rain-producing showers and thunderstorms moved across eastern Iowa and west central Illinois from 12:00 am June 22nd until approximately 6:00 am June 23rd. This occurred on already saturated ground from heavy rains on June 21st.
Read the full account →A complex pattern was in place across Iowa during the afternoon of the 8th with two MCV's moving through the area. One lifted northeast across northeast Nebraska, the other lifted out of Kansas and tracked across the southern Iowa border during the evening.
Read the full account →A complex pattern was in place across Iowa during the afternoon of the 8th with two MCV's moving through the area. One lifted northeast across northeast Nebraska, the other lifted out of Kansas and tracked across the southern Iowa border during the evening.
Read the full account →A strong push of moist and unstable air moved into Iowa during the day on the 24th. Surface temperatures warmed into the low to mid 70s over much of western and southern Iowa with dew point temperatures in the low to mid 60s.
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