Iowa, 1996

Flash Flood in Iowa, May 24, 1996

May 24, 1996 · NWS DMX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A mesoscale convective complex developed over eastern Nebraska and advanced into Iowa during the early morning hours. The problem was with the heavy rainfall.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$300,000
Crop damage
$50,000
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.

A mesoscale convective complex developed over eastern Nebraska and advanced into Iowa during the early morning hours. The problem was with the heavy rainfall. A narrow band of heavy rain fell across parts of central Iowa. Polk County recorded between 2 and 3 1/2 inches of rain in a two hour period between 0200 and 0400 CST. Similar heavy rainfall amounts occurred over the south half of both Adair and Cass Counties. Rainfall amounts across Adair and Cass Counties were in the 2 to as much as 6 inch range. Flash and urban flooding was reported in all three counties. Damage was somewhat limited, but flooded basements were widespread as small creeks and streams flooded.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Polk

When
May 24, 2:30 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where
Polk County, Des Moines
Property damage
$300,000
Crop damage
$50,000
Coordinates
41.686, -93.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, May 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5544487.