Flood, Lyon
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.381, -96.210 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Iowa, April 1 to 30, 1997
Snowmelt flooding continued from March in lowlands and along the Big Sioux and Little Sioux Rivers. The flooding along the Big Sioux River continued through the end of April, slowly abating during the last half of the month.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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 FSD wrote it up.
Snowmelt flooding continued from March in lowlands and along the Big Sioux and Little Sioux Rivers. The flooding along the Big Sioux River continued through the end of April, slowly abating during the last half of the month. Flooding elsewhere abated in early April. Most flooding was to farmland and was not widespread. Estimates of damage were not available because the damage from delayed spring planting could not be assessed.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Plymouth
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Sioux
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Sioux forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.083, -96.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Woodbury
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Woodbury forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.390, -96.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Buena Vista
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Buena Vista forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.736, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Cherokee
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Cherokee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.736, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Clay
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.083, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Dickinson
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Dickinson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.378, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Ida
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Ida forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.387, -95.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, O'Brien
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- O'Brien forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Osceola
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Osceola forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.379, -95.624 (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
- Heavy Snow and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, April 1, 1997
- High Wind in North Carolina, April 1, 1997
- Drought in Texas, April 1 to 30, 1997
- Heavy Snow and Strong Wind in Rhode Island, April 1, 1997
- Heavy Snow and Strong Wind in Connecticut, April 1, 1997
- Flooding in Louisiana, April 1 to 20, 1997
- Flooding in Iowa, April 1 to 10, 1997
- Winter Storm and Hail in Kansas, April 1 to 29, 1997
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in New Jersey, April 1, 1997
- Cold in West Virginia, April 1 to 30, 1997
- Cold in North Carolina, April 1 to 18, 1997
- Flooding in South Dakota, April 1 to 30, 1997
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, April 1997
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: 5605545, 5605546, 5605547, 5605548, 5605549, 5605550, 5605551, 5605552, 5605553, 5605554, 5605555.