Flash Flood, Hancock
- When
- June 15, 12:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hancock County, Britt
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- $25,000
- Coordinates
- 43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Iowa, June 15, 1998
A weak flow pattern was located Iowa. Abundant low level moisture combined with the strong solar heating and passage of a weak trough of low pressure resulted in thunderstorm development.
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
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- $25,000
- 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 weak flow pattern was located Iowa. Abundant low level moisture combined with the strong solar heating and passage of a weak trough of low pressure resulted in thunderstorm development. The storms were not severe, but they also were not moving very fast. A fairly small cell developed over Hancock County and dumped very heavy rain and caused a flash flood. Six inches of rain fell in just over one hour south of the city of Britt. Highways were under water for a time and agricultural flooding was widespread.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 150 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:01 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
- Lightning Strike in Maryland, June 15, 1998
- Flash Flood in Indiana, June 15, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, June 15, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, June 15 to 16, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Virginia, June 15, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, June 15, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, June 15, 1998
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, June 15, 1998
- Flash Flood in Ohio, June 15 to 16, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, June 15, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, June 15, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Hail in West Virginia, June 15, 1998
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, June 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: 5654173.