Iowa, 1996

Flooding in Iowa, May 9 to 10, 1996

May 9 to 10, 1996 · NWS DVN · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

During the evening of May 9 and into the morning of May 10, urban flooding and county road washouts occurred across a large area of eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois. Estimates to repair county roads which were washed out or otherwise damaged by the heavy rainfall ranged from $300,000 to $500,000 per county.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
14

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 DVN wrote it up.

During the evening of May 9 and into the morning of May 10, urban flooding and county road washouts occurred across a large area of eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois. Estimates to repair county roads which were washed out or otherwise damaged by the heavy rainfall ranged from $300,000 to $500,000 per county. While roads in urban areas sustained less damage from the rainfall, a number of them became impassable when creeks overflowed their banks. Area basements were flooded, but those damage estimates are not available. Iowa Governor Terry Brandstad declared 12 iowa Counties State Disaster Areas due to flooding damage.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Iowa

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Iowa forecast zone
Coordinates
41.686, -92.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Johnson

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Johnson forecast zone
Coordinates
41.672, -91.588 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Muscatine

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Muscatine forecast zone
Coordinates
41.484, -91.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Scott

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Scott forecast zone
Coordinates
41.637, -90.623 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Keokuk

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Keokuk forecast zone
Coordinates
41.337, -92.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Washington

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Coordinates
41.336, -91.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Louisa

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Louisa forecast zone
Coordinates
41.219, -91.260 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Des Moines

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Des Moines forecast zone
Coordinates
40.923, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Van Buren

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Van Buren forecast zone
Coordinates
40.753, -91.950 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lee

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Lee forecast zone
Coordinates
40.642, -91.479 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Benton

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Benton forecast zone
Coordinates
42.080, -92.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Linn

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Linn forecast zone
Coordinates
42.079, -91.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jefferson

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Coordinates
41.032, -91.949 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Henry

When
May 9, 8:00 PM CST to May 10, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Henry forecast zone
Coordinates
40.988, -91.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

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: 5557821, 5557822, 5557823, 5557824, 5557825, 5557826, 5557827, 5557828, 5557829, 5557830, 5557831, 5557832, 5557833, 5557834.