4,632 first-hand accounts of flood events in Iowa, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
The continued series of thunderstorms moved across Iowa during the afternoon of the 26th and through the overnight hours of the 26th into the 27th. A stationary front remained in place from central Nebraska into northern Missouri.
Read the full account →May 2013 was a wet month across the state. The heavy rainfall brought relief across the state from the drought of the preceding year. The month began with a May record snow event. Snow began in northwest Iowa early on the morning of the 1st with six inches reported at Sibley.
Read the full account →May 2013 was a wet month across the state. The heavy rainfall brought relief across the state from the drought of the preceding year. The month began with a May record snow event. Snow began in northwest Iowa early on the morning of the 1st with six inches reported at Sibley.
Read the full account →A large convective complex developed to the northwest of Iowa during the night of the 12th into the morning of the 13th. Precipitable water values were very high, in excess of 2.1 inches over Minnesota.
Read the full account →Spurred by a period of excessive precipitation from September 10-12 that resulted in 5 to 10 inches of rainfall in the middle to upper reaches of the Big Sioux River basin and 2 to 5 inches from Sioux Falls downstream, extreme rises occurred mid-month, with many basin locations…
Read the full account →Spurred by a period of excessive precipitation from September 10-12 that resulted in 5 to 10 inches of rainfall in the middle to upper reaches of the Big Sioux River basin and 2 to 5 inches from Sioux Falls downstream, extreme rises occurred mid-month, with many basin locations…
Read the full account →Spurred by a period of excessive precipitation from September 10-12 that resulted in 5 to 10 inches of rainfall in the middle to upper reaches of the Big Sioux River basin and 2 to 5 inches from Sioux Falls downstream, extreme rises occurred mid-month, with many basin locations…
Read the full account →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.
Read the full account →A cold front continued to move southeast across the state. Deep moisture was available with 2 to 2.25 inches of precipitable water present. Thunderstorms formed and dropped very heavy rainfall. Flash flooding was reported in Marion County as well as Warren County.
Read the full account →Through the day, a previously stalled warm front slowly made its way northward into portions of west central and southern Iowa. By the afternoon, with modest temperatures in the low to mid 60s and dewpoints around 60, storms developed in the vicinity of the warm front and…
Read the full account →More than 10 inches of rain in the watershed during the fourth week of July resulted in the Maquoketa River at Maquoketa going above the moderate flood stage level of 26 feet on July 24 around 1115 am CDT.
Read the full account →Still supported by a nearby stationary front, yet another round of thunderstorms dropped an additional 3-5 inches of rain across northeast Iowa and northwest Illinois during the overnight hours of July 23rd into the early morning of July 24th.
Read the full account →A cold front dropped through the area with a large MCS developing across central Iowa throughout the overnight hours and continued into the early morning hours of the 15th.
Read the full account →Another round of severe weather and heavy rain took place during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 9th, lasting into the early morning of the 10th. A strong shortwave lifted northeast across the area.
Read the full account →Another round of severe weather and heavy rain took place during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 9th, lasting into the early morning of the 10th. A strong shortwave lifted northeast across the area.
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 →For the second day in a row, thunderstorms with heavy rain moved across northeast Iowa. A round of storms developed during the early morning hours of June 19th along a warm front and then a second round developed during the afternoon ahead of an approaching cold front.
Read the full account →Deep moisture moved into Iowa as a strong shortwave moved into the central U.S. Moisture from former hurricane Norbert moved into the central U.S. as a low pressure system developed over Kansas.
Read the full account →A cold front moved slowly south into the state during the day on the 20th. The flow was quite light with overall weak dynamics associated with the system. The atmosphere became unstable by afternoon with around 2000 J/kg of CAPE available.
Read the full account →A powerful upper level system was moving into south central Canada. The upper level winds were increasing as a closed upper low settled into that area. Warm air advection continued across Iowa through the night of the 29th into the morning of the 30th.
Read the full account →A very dynamic weather pattern was in place over the central U.S. on the 3rd. A strong short wave moved out of the Rockies onto the Plains during the day. Thunderstorms formed early in Nebraska and South Dakota.
Read the full account →A very dynamic weather pattern was in place over over Iowa. A warm front lifted north into the state. Temperatures warmed in the 80s with dew point readings in the upper 60s to mid 70s.
Read the full account →An unstable airmass was in place across Iowa with afternoon highs reaching well into the 80s, and dewpoint readings in the low to mid 70s. CAPE rose to 2000 to 3000 J/kg.
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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