Flood, Warren
- When
- May 9, 9:00 PM CST to May 10, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Warren County, Indianola
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 41.334, -93.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in Iowa, May 9 to 10, 1996
Thunderstorms fired up during the evening hours as the warm front that had become stationary over Iowa began to turn into a cold front. At the same time, a stronger cold front was sinking toward the area from the northwest.
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- 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.
Thunderstorms fired up during the evening hours as the warm front that had become stationary over Iowa began to turn into a cold front. At the same time, a stronger cold front was sinking toward the area from the northwest. The first counties affected by urban flooding were Polk, Madison, Warren, Dallas, and Jasper Counties. Heavy rainfall of 1 to 3 inches in less than 2 hours time was common. An additional 1 to 2 inches of rain fell in several areas, making the flooding worse. Most small steams went over their banks and urban flooding in cities was widespread. Some roads, mainly county highways, were closed as they became overtopped with water.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Kansas, May 9, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Illinois, May 9, 1996
- Flash Flood in Michigan, May 9 to 10, 1996
- Hail in Kansas, May 9, 1996
- Tornado in Iowa, May 9, 1996
- Hail in Kansas, May 9, 1996
- Hail in Kansas, May 9, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 9, 1996
- Flash Flood in Iowa, May 9, 1996
- Tornado in Kansas, May 9, 1996
- Flooding in Iowa, May 9 to 13, 1996
- Flooding in Tennessee, May 9 to 23, 1996
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: 5544256.