Flood, Butler
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Butler forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.732, -92.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Iowa, April 1 to 4, 2001
April 2001 began with continued minor to moderate snowmelt flooding in portions of the Iowa, Cedar and Des Moines River basins. The first significant rainfall of the month affected much of the Des Moines Hydrologic Service Area (HSA) on the 5th as scattered showers and the seasons's first thunderstorms moved across the area.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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
- $65,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 13
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.
April 2001 began with continued minor to moderate snowmelt flooding in portions of the Iowa, Cedar and Des Moines River basins. The first significant rainfall of the month affected much of the Des Moines Hydrologic Service Area (HSA) on the 5th as scattered showers and the seasons's first thunderstorms moved across the area. Several rivers crossed over from March into April at to just a little over flood stage, but flooding was pretty much limited to agricultural lands.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 8:10 PM CST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 8:10 PM CST, 3 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 810 PM CST SAT MAR 31 2001 UPDATES TO ZONES TO REMOVE MENTIONS OF CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION. SKIES HAVE CLEARED ACROSS THE AREA UNDE R HIGH PRESSURE. CURRENT LOW TEMP FORECAST TONIGHT IS ON TRACK SO WILL NOT CHANGE AT THIS TIME. .DSM...NONE TC
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
13 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Cerro Gordo
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cerro Gordo forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 43.082, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Emmet
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Emmet forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 43.378, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Franklin
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.733, -93.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Hamilton
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hamilton forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.384, -93.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Hancock
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hancock forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 43.082, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Humboldt
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Humboldt forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.777, -94.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Palo Alto
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Palo Alto forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 43.082, -94.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Pocahontas
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pocahontas forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.734, -94.679 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Webster
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Webster forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.428, -94.182 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Winnebago
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Winnebago forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 43.378, -93.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Worth
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Worth forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 43.377, -93.261 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Wright
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 4, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wright forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 42.733, -93.735 (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
- Flooding in Minnesota, April 1 to 30, 2001
- Flooding in Wisconsin, April 1 to 30, 2001
- Flood in North Dakota, April 1 to 15, 2001
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, April 1, 2001
- Flood in North Dakota, April 1 to 15, 2001
- Flood in North Dakota, April 1 to 15, 2001
- Flooding in South Dakota, April 1 to 16, 2001
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, April 1, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, April 1, 2001
- Tornado in North Carolina, April 1, 2001
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, April 1, 2001
- Drought in North Carolina, April 1 to 30, 2001
More
Every storm in Iowa in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, April 2001
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: 5237592, 5237593, 5237594, 5237595, 5237596, 5237597, 5237598, 5237599, 5237600, 5237601, 5237602, 5237603, 5237604.