Iowa, 1997

Flood in Iowa, April 2 to 30, 1997

April 2 to 30, 1997 · NWS OAX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Flooding along the Missouri River was the result of snowmelt runoff from the James, Vermillion, Big and Little Sioux, and Floyd rivers in South Dakota and northwest Iowa. In addition, record high releases from Gavins Point Dam added to the flooding.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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 OAX wrote it up.

Flooding along the Missouri River was the result of snowmelt runoff from the James, Vermillion, Big and Little Sioux, and Floyd rivers in South Dakota and northwest Iowa. In addition, record high releases from Gavins Point Dam added to the flooding. Lowland flooding of agricultural bottomlands, boat marinas, and some local parks was common from along the river west of Missouri Valley to points further south.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Harrison

When
April 2, 12:00 PM CST to April 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Harrison forecast zone
Coordinates
41.683, -95.817 (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: 5594767.