Flood, Pocahontas
- When
- May 9, 4:45 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pocahontas County, Pocahontas
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Coordinates
- 42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in Iowa, May 9, 1998
A rather chaotic but weak upper level flow was over Iowa. The air mass became unstable during the late afternoon as temperatures warmed in to the mid 70s.
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
- $30,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- 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 rather chaotic but weak upper level flow was over Iowa. The air mass became unstable during the late afternoon as temperatures warmed in to the mid 70s. Thunderstorms erupted and moved very slowly west. One of the storms remained nearly stationary over Pocahontas County. One and one half inches of rain fell in 45 minutes in Pocahontas, with 2.75 inches in a 90 minute period. The heavy rain caused some urban flooding in the county, however it was not widespread.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Heat in Texas, May 9, 1998
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, May 9, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 9, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 9, 1998
- Tornado in Alabama, May 9, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 9, 1998
- Tornadoes in Alabama, May 9, 1998
- Hail in Missouri, May 9, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 9, 1998
- Hail in Alabama, May 9, 1998
- Flooding and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, May 9 to 16, 1998
- Hail in Alabama, May 9, 1998
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, May 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: 5646503.