Flash Flood, Polk
- When
- February 19, 9:00 PM CST to February 20, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- Polk County, Des Moines
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 41.686, -93.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Iowa, February 19 to 20, 1997
Ice jams continued along the lower reaches of the Raccoon River. A major ice jam, 12 miles in length, began at the 63rd street bridge in West Des Moines.
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
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $100,000
- 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.
Ice jams continued along the lower reaches of the Raccoon River. A major ice jam, 12 miles in length, began at the 63rd street bridge in West Des Moines. The river went sligtly above flood stage there before it broke free. The ice flowed down the river where it once again became jamed near the mouth of the river. It caused a rapid rise in the river level to nearly 2 feet above flood stage. Roads along the river were closed by the high water and ice. Heavy equipment needed to be brought in to move the large chunks of ice off the roads before they could be opened.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 13 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:01 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Flash Flood in Iowa, February 19, 1997
- 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
- 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5586137.