Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 22, 2004

Name: Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 22, 2004
Start: 2004-05-22T06:52
End: 2004-05-22T14:00
Location: Iowa

May 22, 2004 · NWS DVN · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

The second of two squall lines that developed in western Iowa the night of 21 May 2004 moved across Eastern Iowa and Northwest Illinois during the morning hours. The squall line had weakened considerably during the night so severe weather was sporatic but produced heavy rain over areas that were already saturated and thus renewed flash flooding.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $62,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 22, 3:25 AM CST, 3 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 3:25 AM CST, 3 hours 27 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
425 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

.DISCUSSION...
WILL HAVE TO BE BRIEF AGAIN DO TO THE LOCAL AREA GETTING CONVECTIVELY
SLAPPED AGAIN OVER AND OVER. ALMOST CONTINUAL WAVES OF MCSS ALONG
AND NORTH OF WAVY BOUNDARY HAVE SHUNTED IT FURTHER SOUTH ACRS
SOUTHWEST IA. ONGOING CONVECTION AND OUTFLOW FURTHER TO THE EAST MAY
DO THE SAME TO THE FRONT...CAUSING IT TO BE FURTHER SOUTH FOR AWHILE
TODAY THEN THE LATEST SHORT RANGE MODEL RUNS SUGGEST. THIS MAY OPEN
UP MORE OF THE CWA TO HEAVY CONVECTION AND SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL...AND
HAVE EXPANDED THE FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY THRU TONIGHT FOR ROUGHLY THE
I-80 CORRIDOR ON NORTHWARD. MAIN UPPER WAVE TO PULL UP OUT OF THE
CENTRAL ROCKIES LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH STRENGTHENING SFC LOW
SHIFTING TO THE NORTHEAST ACRS NORTHWESTERN IA...PULLING FRONT UP
WITH IT. EVERYTHING COMING TOGETHER IN DEEP CONVECTIVE SPAWNING
GROUNDS TO THE LEE/NORTHEAST OF THIS EJECTING WAVE ACRS EAST NE AND
WESTERN IA THIS EVENING...AND EXPECT EVENTUAL EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF
MCS ACRS AT LEAST THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE CWA TONIGHT FOR ANOTHER
ROUND OF POTENTIAL HEAVY RAIN IN ALREADY FLOOD AGGRAVATED AREA
(ESPECIALLY AFTER THIS MORNINGS ACTIVITY). MODELS SUGGEST BULK OF THE
HEAVY RAIN FROM CONVECTIVE COMPLEX(ES) TO LIFT JUST TO THE NORTH OF
THE LOCAL AREA OVERNIGHT...BUT AGAIN WORRIED THEY MAY BE TOO FAR
NORTH WITH BOUNDARY AT THAT TIME AND AT LEAST THE NORTHERN THIRD OF
THE CWA MAY AGAIN BE UNDER THE GUN FROM HEAVY CONVECTION. THIS AGAIN
SUPPORTS EXTENSION OF FLOOD WATCH. AGAIN TODAY COULD BE BIG SPREAD OF
TEMPS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH DEPENDING ON NORTHWARD FRONTAL PROGRESSION
AND LINGERING CONVECTIVE DEBRIS.

MODELS DIFFER ON TIMING OF COLD FRONT TO THE SOUTH OF NORTHWARD
PROGRESSING SFC CYCLONE AS IT SWEEPS ACRS THE AREA SUNDAY AFTERNOON
...BUT FOR NOW WILL HAVE JUST CHANCE POPS IN WARM AND BREEZY
PREFRONTAL CONDITIONS.

NO CHANGE TO LATER PERIODS...

&&

.DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IA...FLOOD WATCH TODAY AND TONIGHT GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE
INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR.
IL...FLOOD WATCH TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR JO DAVIESS...STEPHENSON...
CARROLL...AND WHITESIDE.
MO...NONE.

&&

12

Hazardous weather outlook, May 22, 5:32 AM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
632 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007-
009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-231000-
BENTON IA-BUCHANAN IA-BUREAU IL-CARROLL IL-CEDAR IA-CLARK MO-
CLINTON IA-DELAWARE IA-DES MOINES IA-DUBUQUE IA-HANCOCK IL-
HENDERSON IL-HENRY IA-HENRY IL-IOWA IA-JACKSON IA-JEFFERSON IA-
JO DAVIESS IL-JOHNSON IA-JONES IA-KEOKUK IA-LEE IA-LINN IA-LOUISA IA-
MCDONOUGH IL-MERCER IL-MUSCATINE IA-PUTNAM IL-ROCK ISLAND IL-
SCOTLAND MO-SCOTT IA-STEPHENSON IL-VAN BUREN IA-WARREN IL-
WASHINGTON IA-WHITESIDE IL-
632 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA...
EAST CENTRAL IOWA...SOUTHEAST IOWA...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...NORTH
CENTRAL ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE ENTIRE AREA
AGAIN TODAY AND TONIGHT. WITH A WEST TO EAST ORIENTED FRONTAL
BOUNDARY CONTINUING TO WAVER ACROSS THE AREA...ROUNDS OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO FEED ON WARM MOIST AIR AND MOVE
ALONG THIS FEATURE AND AFFECT MUCH OF THE AREA THIS MORNING.
MOST OF THESE STRONGER STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO OCCUR THROUGH MID
MORNING ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR AND BE CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING UP TO PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH.
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE MORE OF A WIDESPREAD THREAT...WITH AREAS
RECEIVING UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME THIS
MORNING. AREAS THAT EXPERIENCE REPEATED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY MAY
RECEIVE UP TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN BY EARLY AFTERNOON...CAUSING NUISANCE-
URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING. LIGHTER RAINS WILL FALL NORTH OF THE
INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR LATER THIS MORNING IN AREAS THAT RECEIVED
HEAVY RAINFALL FRIDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. CREEKS AND RIVERS IN
THESE AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR WILL
CONTINUE TO SWELL OUT OF THEIR BANKS FROM LAST NIGHTS HEAVY RAINS...
ALONG WITH OTHER FLOODING PROBLEMS THAT WILL PERSIST WELL INTO
TODAY.

AS THE FRONT TRIES TO LIFT NORTHWARD TODAY...MORE HEAVY STORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO FIRE IN WESTERN IOWA BY THIS EVENING...AND PROGRESS EAST
TOWARD NORTHEAST IOWA AND POSSIBLY NORTHWEST ILLINOIS. HOW MUCH OF
THE AREA GETS IMPACTED DEPENDS ON HOW FAR NORTH THE FRONT CAN REACH.
LATEST INDICATIONS SUGGEST THE FRONT SHOULD MAKE IT INTO NORTHEAST
IOWA AND ALONG THE WISCONSIN AND ILLINOIS BORDER BY 7 PM. THIS
WOULD HELP THE HEAVIER RAIN PRODUCING STORMS SHIFT TO THE NORTH OF
THE AREA OVERNIGHT. BUT IF THE FRONT HAS TROUBLE BATTLING COOL
THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW FROM THIS MORNINGS ACTIVITY AND HANGS UP
FURTHER TO THE SOUTH...AREAS NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR
WILL ONCE AGAIN BE UNDER THE GUN FOR HEAVY RAIN...AS WELL AS SOME
SEVERE WEATHER IN THE FORM OF WINDS GUSTING UP TO 65 MPH AND HAIL
UP TO THE SIZE OF HALF DOLLARS THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. A STRONG
STORM DEVELOPING ON THE BOUNDARY AND FEEDING ON THE WARM MOIST AIR
TO THE SOUTH OF IT...WILL AGAIN HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A
TORNADO IN THIS ENHANCED SHEAR ZONE. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED LATE
FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL IOWA.

SOILS IN EAST CENTRAL IOWA AND NORTHWEST ILLINOIS ALONG AND NORTH OF
THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR ARE ALREADY SATURATED...AND RIVERS AND
CREEKS ARE SWOLLEN AND OUT OF THEIR BANKS. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT
THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR THE POTENTIAL OF MORE HEAVY RAIN OF 1 TO 3
INCHES AND LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THESE AREAS LATER TODAY AND
TONIGHT...WHICH WOULD CREATE FLASH FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

AS A LOW PRESSURE STORM SYSTEM SHIFTS NORTH OF THE AREA LATE
TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...A TRAILING COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE
AREA FROM THE WEST IN THE AFTERNOON. THIS FRONT WILL ENCOUNTER THE
WARM AND MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE OVER EASTERN IOWA...NORTHEAST
MISSOURI AND NORTHWEST ILLINOIS AND PRODUCE THE RISK OF MORE SEVERE
WEATHER. AS THE FRONT SCOOPS UP THE UNSTABLE AIR...IT MAY PRODUCE
SCATTERED SUPERCELLS WHICH MAY BE ABLE TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MORE PROGRESSIVE
AND THUS NOT AS MUCH OF A FLOODING THREAT...ALTHOUGH THEY MAY
AGGRAVATE ANY ONGOING FLOODING ALREADY OCCURRING FROM EARLIER HEAVY
RAIN EPISODES.

MORE SHOWERS AND STORMS MAY OCCUR ON MONDAY AS ANOTHER DISTURBANCE
APPROACHES FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. SPOTTERS WILL
ALSO LIKELY BE NEEDED SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE ENTIRE AREA.

12

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 22, 3:38 AM CST, 3 hours 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
438 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0415 AM     HEAVY RAIN       GALENA TERRITORY        42.40N 90.33W
05/22/2004  0.00 INCH        JO DAVIESS         IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            0.90 INCHES OF RAIN IN 15 MINUTES

&&

TAS

Local storm report, May 22, 3:43 AM CST, 3 hours 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
443 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0309 AM     TSTM WND DMG     DYERSVILLE              42.48N 91.12W
05/22/2004                   DUBUQUE            IA   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN. RURAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.

&&

TAS

Local storm report, May 22, 4:11 AM CST, 2 hours 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
511 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0458 AM     TSTM WND GST     FREEPORT                42.29N 89.63W
05/22/2004  35 MPH           STEPHENSON         IL   AIRPLANE PILOT

0443 AM     HEAVY RAIN       GALENA                  42.42N 90.43W
05/22/2004  0.00 INCH        JO DAVIESS         IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            OVER 1 INCH OF RAIN IN 10 TO 15 MINUTES...BACKYARDS
            INNUNDATED AND WATER IN BASEMENT

&&

TAS

Local storm report, May 22, 4:13 AM CST, 2 hours 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
513 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0410 AM     FLASH FLOOD      MANCHESTER              42.49N 91.46W
05/22/2004                   DELAWARE           IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            DITCHES AND STREAMS OUT OF THIER BANKS. DEBRIS OVER HWY
            38 BETWEEN DELEWARE ADN GREELEY AT MANCHESTER. 1.4 INCHES
            OF RAIN SINCE MIDNIGHT.

&&

TAS

Local storm report, May 22, 5:00 AM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
600 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0522 AM     HAIL             LOUD THUNDER PARK       41.43N 90.83W
05/22/2004  0.75 INCH        ROCK ISLAND        IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

TAS

Special weather statement, May 22, 6:03 AM CST, 49 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
703 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-ILZ001-002-007-009-015>018-024-
221230-
BENTON IA-BUCHANAN IA-BUREAU IL-CARROLL IL-CEDAR IA-CLINTON IA-
DELAWARE IA-DUBUQUE IA-HENRY IL-IOWA IA-JACKSON IA-JO DAVIESS IL-
JOHNSON IA-JONES IA-KEOKUK IA-LINN IA-LOUISA IA-MERCER IL-MUSCATINE IA-
PUTNAM IL-ROCK ISLAND IL-SCOTT IA-STEPHENSON IL-WASHINGTON IA-
WHITESIDE IL-
703 AM CDT SAT MAY 22 2004

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PARTS OF EAST CENTRAL IOWA AND
NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM FOR PARTS OF
EAST CENTRAL IOWA AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS HAS
EXPIRED.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA THROUGH MID
MORNING AND MAY PRODUCE MORE SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50
MPH. THE STORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...ADDING TO ANY
ON GOING FLOODING PROBLEMS FROM OVERNIGHT.

DLF

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood, 1 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Washington

When: May 22, 6:52 AM CST to 7:52 AM CST
Where: Washington County, Ainsworth
Measured: 1
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.336, -91.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

1 inch of rain in a hour.

Flash Flood, Buchanan

When: May 22, 7:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Buchanan County, Countywide
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.471, -91.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Fontana State Park evacuated; numerous roads and bridges closed by high water. Road and bridge washed out near the intersection of Quinn Street and 100 Street east of Stanley.

Thunderstorm Wind, Muscatine

When: May 22, 7:48 AM CST to 7:50 AM CST
Where: Muscatine County, West Liberty
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.583, -91.267

Flash Flood, Linn

When: May 22, 9:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Linn County, Marion
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.079, -91.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Indian creek rising rapidly again and overflowing banks. Roads being closed again due to high water.

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, May 2004

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: 5416385, 5416386, 5416387, 5416655.