Iowa, 1998

Flooding in Iowa, June 28 to 30, 1998

June 28 to 30, 1998 · NWS DMX · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

The month of June had to give Iowa one last gasp of heavy rainfall. Since the soil was already saturated, it did not take much rainfall to cause renewed flooding.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
$900,000
Crop damage
$240,000
Events
12

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.

The month of June had to give Iowa one last gasp of heavy rainfall. Since the soil was already saturated, it did not take much rainfall to cause renewed flooding. Moderate rains of 1 to 2 inches occurred on the 27th through the 29th. The Des Moines area was again the focus for severe weather and some heavy rainfall on the 29th. Much heavier amounts were observed over northeast Iowa, just east of the HSA in the upper Cedar River Basin. As the month went, this flood event was not as serious as most. Damage did occur, but many of the things that could be damage, both in property and agricultural, had been damaged or destroyed by earlier flooding. The main rivers effected by this event were the Winnebago, Beaver Creek in Des Moines, Walnut Creek in Des Moines, Four Mile Creek in Des Moines, Iowa, Raccoon, and Des Moines.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Hancock

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Hancock forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Boone

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Boone forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
42.037, -93.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Butler

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Butler forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
42.732, -92.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Cerro Gordo

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Cerro Gordo forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
43.082, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Dallas

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Dallas forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
41.685, -94.040 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Hardin

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Hardin forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
42.384, -93.240 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Humboldt

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Humboldt forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
42.777, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Marshall

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Marshall forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
42.036, -92.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Pocahontas

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Pocahontas forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Polk

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Polk forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
41.686, -93.573 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Tama

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Tama forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
42.080, -92.532 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Webster

When
June 28, 6:00 AM CST to June 30, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Webster forecast zone
Property damage
$75,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Coordinates
42.428, -94.182 (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 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: 5653273, 5653274, 5653275, 5653276, 5653277, 5653278, 5653279, 5653280, 5653281, 5653282, 5653283, 5653284.