Flash Flood, Polk
- When
- February 19, 8:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Polk County, Des Moines
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Coordinates
- 41.686, -93.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Iowa, February 19, 1997
Significant ice jams took place along the Raccoon River along its lower reaches. One occurred where the river flows through a gravel pit on the west side of the Des Moines area.
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
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $30,000
- 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.
Significant ice jams took place along the Raccoon River along its lower reaches. One occurred where the river flows through a gravel pit on the west side of the Des Moines area. A woman was driving across a flood plain road when one of the ice jams suddenly broke. The water rose quickly and her vehicle was swept off the road with her in it. The woman was drown with both her body and vehicle found several hours later in 30 feet of water. The incident occurred around 0930 CST. Reports indicate water began to overtop the road about 0810 CST, however reports indicated that the water was not very deep when she first started along the road.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Polk | 1997-02-19 | 51 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
What these are
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Texas, February 19, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, February 19, 1997
- Flooding in Nebraska, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, February 19 to 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in Iowa, February 19 to 20, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Texas, February 19 to 21, 1997
- Winter Storm in Utah, February 19 to 20, 1997
- Heat in New Jersey, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Heat in Pennsylvania, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Heat in Maryland, February 19 to 22, 1997
- Heat in Delaware, February 19 to 22, 1997
- High Wind in Massachusetts, February 19 to 20, 1997
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, February 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5586136.