Flash Flood and Flooding in Iowa, July 5, 1998

Name: Flash Flood and Flooding in Iowa, July 5, 1998
Start: 1998-07-05T07:30
End: 1998-07-05T14:00
Location: Iowa

July 5, 1998 · NWS DMX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A relatively small mesoscale convective system drifted into Iowa from the southwest during the morning of the 5th. No severe weather occurred in the state, but a steady and heavy rain did.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: $160,000
Crop damage: $30,000
Events: 3

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 relatively small mesoscale convective system drifted into Iowa from the southwest during the morning of the 5th. No severe weather occurred in the state, but a steady and heavy rain did. Flash flooding was reported in Cass County with many roads and highways under water. Radio station KJAN in Atlantic reported about 5 inches of rain in a few hour period of time. As the storms moved east, they weakened somewhat. Even though they weakened, one to three inches of rain fell in a 2 to 3 hour time period across Guthrie and Adair Counties. The heavy rainfall resulted in urban flooding in those counties. Overall, damage was not all that severe.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Cass

When: July 5, 7:30 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Cass County, Atlantic
Property damage: $100,000
Crop damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 41.332, -94.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Guthrie

When: July 5, 9:30 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Guthrie County, Guthrie Center
Property damage: $30,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 41.684, -94.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Adair

When: July 5, 9:30 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Adair County, Greenfield
Property damage: $30,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 41.331, -94.471 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.
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

Every storm in Iowa in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, July 1998

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: 5652946, 5652947, 5652948.