Flood, Lyon
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Lyon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.381, -96.210 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Iowa, March 12 to 31, 1997
Sporadic snowmelt flooding occurred in lowlands including farmland, on small streams, and along the Big Sioux, Floyd, Little Sioux, and Rock Rivers. Aside from some basement flooding, most flooding was to farmland and was not widespread.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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 FSD wrote it up.
Sporadic snowmelt flooding occurred in lowlands including farmland, on small streams, and along the Big Sioux, Floyd, Little Sioux, and Rock Rivers. Aside from some basement flooding, most flooding was to farmland and was not widespread. This damage could not be estimated before spring planting was completed.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Osceola
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 28, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Osceola forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.379, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Dickinson
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 28, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dickinson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.378, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Sioux
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Sioux forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.083, -96.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, O'Brien
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 28, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- O'Brien forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.084, -95.625 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Clay
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 28, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.083, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Plymouth
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Plymouth forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.738, -96.214 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Cherokee
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 28, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Cherokee forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.736, -95.624 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Buena Vista
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 28, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Buena Vista forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.736, -95.151 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Woodbury
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Woodbury forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.390, -96.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Ida
- When
- March 12, 7:00 AM CST to March 28, 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Ida forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.387, -95.513 (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
- Winter Weather in Vermont, March 12, 1997
- Flood in Oklahoma, March 12, 1997
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Flash Flood in Texas, March 12, 1997
- Flooding in South Dakota, March 12 to 31, 1997
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 12 to 14, 1997
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Montana, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, March 12 to 14, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Montana, March 12 to 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Wyoming, March 12 to 13, 1997
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, March 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: 5592012, 5592013, 5592014, 5592015, 5592016, 5592017, 5592018, 5592019, 5592020, 5592021, 5592022.