Flood, Clarke
- When
- April 14, 12:00 AM CST to April 16, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clarke forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 41.029, -93.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Iowa, April 14 to 16, 1997
As flooding receded in northern Iowa, an unusual spring snowstorm moved through south central and southeast Iowa. This storm left as much as 30 inches of heavy wet snow in some areas.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
As flooding receded in northern Iowa, an unusual spring snowstorm moved through south central and southeast Iowa. This storm left as much as 30 inches of heavy wet snow in some areas. While rapid snowmelt was observed thereafter, it nonetheless produced only minor flooding over parts of the Chariton River basin upstream from Rathbun Dam and Reservoir. Damage was only agricultural flooding and quite minor.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Lucas
- When
- April 14, 12:00 AM CST to April 16, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Lucas forecast zone
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 41.029, -93.328 (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 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: 5596372, 5596373.