Iowa, 1997

Flood in Iowa, July 24, 1997

July 24, 1997 · NWS DMX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A very unstable air mass was located over Iowa as a warm front extended from southeast Nebraska into central South Dakota. A narrot line of thunderstorms formed across Iowa with intense lightning and very heavy rainfall of over 2 inches per hour for a time.

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
$25,000
Crop damage
$15,000
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.

A very unstable air mass was located over Iowa as a warm front extended from southeast Nebraska into central South Dakota. A narrot line of thunderstorms formed across Iowa with intense lightning and very heavy rainfall of over 2 inches per hour for a time. A band of rainfall in the 3 to 6 inch range fell from northwest Polk County, south to Appanoose County. The ground was very dry at the time and thus most flooding was restricted to agricultural and in urban areas.

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, Wayne

When
July 24, 2:00 AM CST to 5:30 AM CST
Where
Wayne County, Corydon
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
$15,000
Coordinates
40.740, -93.327 (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, July 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: 5603124.