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Iowa Flood Stories

4,632 first-hand accounts of flood events in Iowa, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.

Flash Flood$10K damage

Guthrie, IA · Jun 25, 2015

A slowly northward moving boundary/warm front was draped across the area throughout the day. By the evening vigorous storms fired up just north of the boundary and continued as the low level jet began to pick up. Numerous reports of large hail and damaging winds were reported.

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Flash Flood$10K damage

Polk, IA · Jun 25, 2015

A slowly northward moving boundary/warm front was draped across the area throughout the day. By the evening vigorous storms fired up just north of the boundary and continued as the low level jet began to pick up. Numerous reports of large hail and damaging winds were reported.

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Flash Flood$10K damage

Boone, IA · Aug 28, 2015

In the hours after midnight on the 28th a low pressure system was over portions of central/eastern Nebraska moving toward Iowa. A warm front extended east out of the surface low into southern Iowa.

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Flash Flood$10K damage

Grundy, IA · Aug 28, 2015

In the hours after midnight on the 28th a low pressure system was over portions of central/eastern Nebraska moving toward Iowa. A warm front extended east out of the surface low into southern Iowa.

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Flash Flood$10K damage

Hamilton, IA · Aug 28, 2015

In the hours after midnight on the 28th a low pressure system was over portions of central/eastern Nebraska moving toward Iowa. A warm front extended east out of the surface low into southern Iowa.

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Flood$10K damage

Boone, IA · Aug 28, 2015

In the hours after midnight on the 28th a low pressure system was over portions of central/eastern Nebraska moving toward Iowa. A warm front extended east out of the surface low into southern Iowa.

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Flood$10K damage

Boone, IA · Aug 28, 2015

In the hours after midnight on the 28th a low pressure system was over portions of central/eastern Nebraska moving toward Iowa. A warm front extended east out of the surface low into southern Iowa.

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Flash Flood$25K damage

Ringgold, IA · Sep 7, 2015

A slow moving cold front entered the state and produced heavy rainfall across a large portion of central Iowa. The front eventually stalled, and transitioned to a northward moving warm front the next day.

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Flood$25K damage

Dallas, IA · Sep 7, 2015

A slow moving cold front entered the state and produced heavy rainfall across a large portion of central Iowa. The front eventually stalled, and transitioned to a northward moving warm front the next day.

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Flood$450K damage

Floyd, IA · Jul 19, 1999

The Cedar River experienced record flooding due to excessive rainfall amounts. On the 19th, the river crested at 18.26 feet at Charles City (Floyd County). Two days later on the 21st, the river had an all-time record crest at Charles City of 22.80 feet.

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Flash Flood$80K damage

Floyd, IA · Jun 12, 2013

A couple rounds of severe thunderstorms rolled across northeast Iowa during the afternoon and evening of June 12th. These storms developed ahead of an area of low pressure that was moving east across the Upper Midwest.

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Flash Flood$200K damage

Webster, IA · Feb 19, 2011

The spring melt was well in progress on the morning of the 19th. The ice on the Des Moines River in Fort Dodge began to break up during the early morning hours. The ice jammed in town at a point that typically has ice jam flooding each year.

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Flash Flood$200K damage

Adams, IA · May 11, 2011

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.

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Flood$200K damage

Warren, IA · Jun 10, 2011

Relatively dry weather prevailed for the first week of June allowing the completion of nearly of all of the corn and soybean planting. However, rainfall was frequent and sometimes excessive from the 8th through the 22nd.

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Flood$200K damage

Webster, IA · Feb 19, 2011

Unseasonably cold weather prevailed for the first ten days of the month with temperatures averaging 11.4�� below normal. However the second ten days of the month averaged 11.6�� above normal with daily maximum temperatures reaching into the mid 50���s or higher…

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Flood$200K damage

Pottawattamie, IA · Jun 1, 2011

A record rain event in May in eastern Montana combined with high water from other storms in April and May and brought high water to the Missouri River chain of reservoirs. Water levels were further increased by the melting of a above normal snow pack in the northern Rockies.

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Flash Flood$400K damage

Scott, IA · Mar 12, 2006

A strong spring storm system moved from the central Plains into the Great Lakes region from 12 March to 13 March 2006. An initial low level jet of 30-40 knots increased to 40-50 knots after sunset on 12 March which increased the available moisture for thunderstorms and heavy…

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Flash Flood

Mitchell, IA · Jun 14, 2016

Thunderstorms developed north of a warm front across northeast Iowa during the afternoon of June 14th. Initially, these storms produced some wind damage and large hail before they became heavy rain producers that led to flash flooding.

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Flood$400K damage

Davis, IA · May 26, 1996

Another round of mesoscale convective complexes rolled through the state during the final week of the month. Some areas received several inches of rain over a 2 night period. Flooding became more widespread as monthly totals exceeded 10 inches at many locations.

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Flood$400K damage

Mitchell, IA · Jul 19, 1999

The Cedar River experienced record flooding due to excessive rainfall amounts. On the 19th, the river crested at 18.26 feet at Charles City (Floyd County). Two days later on the 21st, the river had an all-time record crest at Charles City of 22.80 feet.

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Flood$400K damage

Winneshiek, IA · May 22, 2004

Major flooding occurred on the Turkey River as a result of rainfall totals of 8 to 10 inches. At Garber, a new all-time flood record was established when the river crested at 32.8 feet on May 23.

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Flood$400K damage

Jasper, IA · Aug 9, 2010

The very wet weather pattern of June and July continued into the first two weeks of August. Central Iowa was hardest hit by rainfall with three consecutive nights of torrential rains on the 8th, 9th and 10th.

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Flood$10K damage

Floyd, IA · Sep 3, 2018

Thunderstorms with heavy rain moved across portions of northeast Iowa during the evening of September 3rd. Rainfall amounts of 1.5 to 4 inches produced some flash flooding across Allamakee and Clayton Counties.

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Flood$375K damage

Howard, IA · Jul 19, 1999

The Cedar River experienced record flooding due to excessive rainfall amounts. On the 19th, the river crested at 18.26 feet at Charles City (Floyd County). Two days later on the 21st, the river had an all-time record crest at Charles City of 22.80 feet.

Read the full account →
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