Iowa, 2000

Flash Flooding and Hail in Iowa, May 31, 2000

May 31, 2000 · NWS DVN · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The atmosphere recharged within a few hours of the passage of the bow MCS. Thunderstorms redeveloped from Southern Minnesota into Northern Iowa, and moved back into Eastern Iowa during the late afternoon and continued for much of the evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
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 DVN wrote it up.

The atmosphere recharged within a few hours of the passage of the bow MCS. Thunderstorms redeveloped from Southern Minnesota into Northern Iowa, and moved back into Eastern Iowa during the late afternoon and continued for much of the evening. WIth the atmosphere slightly more stable, the threat transitioned from hail and high wind to heavy rain and flash flooding. With this being the third round of convection to affect the area in the last 36 hrs, soils were very saturated. 1 to 4 inches of rain had already fallen across much of Northeast Iowa with isolated higher amounts. Additional heavy rain during the late afternoon and evening sent several creeks and streams out of their banks. Heavy rain forced the Little Wapsipinicon River at Fairbank out of it's banks for the second time in less than 24 hours. Several roads throughout Delaware County from Greeley to Edgewood were washed out and impassable. Many area rivers were sent to bankfull.

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 141 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:22 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Flash Flood, Buchanan

When
May 31, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Buchanan County, Fairbank
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Delaware

When
May 31, 3:35 PM CST
Where
Delaware County, Countywide
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.471, -91.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Dubuque

When
May 31, 8:20 PM CST
Where
Dubuque County, 5 mi E of New Vienna
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.550, -91.017

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Iowa in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, May 2000

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: 5145816, 5145817, 5145818.