A strong warm-up took place over Iowa during the 14th and the several days before with highs reaching the 40s and 50s, and overnight lows remaining in the 30s. This melted a considerable amount of snow and began the process of ice break-up on the rivers.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.
A strong warm-up took place over Iowa during the 14th and the several days before with highs reaching the 40s and 50s, and overnight lows remaining in the 30s. This melted a considerable amount of snow and began the process of ice break-up on the rivers. There were reports of ice jamming along many of the rivers in the state, however most of the rivers were able to handle the ice. There were two areas where ice jams became a significant problem. One was in Marshall County north of Marshalltown. An ice jam formed on the Iowa River and caused flash flooding south of the Albion area. Iowa Highway 330 was closed for a time by the high water. The second area was in Boone County along the Des Moines River. Ice jammed along the river from south of the Webster County line to just west of Boone. Flash flooding was reported with reports of the river rising as much as 15 feet at times. Initial reports indicated that flood waters caused limited damage and flowed mainly into agricultural lands, however several roads were closed due to the high water.
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 14, 2:30 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 330 AM CDT FRI MAR 14 2008 .DISCUSSION... FAST WESTERLY FLOW TO AMPLIFY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH A COUPLE OF SYSTEMS TO AFFECT IOWA. CURRENTLY...WEAK WAVE PASSING THROUGH THE STATE WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AS TEMPS HAVE REMAINED ABOVE FREEZING OVERNIGHT. WEAK TROF AXIS HAS ENTERED NORTHWEST IOWA AND WL SEE THIS BOUNDARY SLOWLY CREEP SOUTHWARD TODAY. WL SEE FORCING INCREASE BY LATER TODAY AS SHORTWAVE CROSSES THE ROCKIES AND INTO THE PLAINS. DEEPER SATURATION OCCURS MAINLY IN SOUTHWEST IA WHERE BEST THREAT OF PCPN WL REMAIN. POPS GENERALLY FOLLOW WEAK BOUNDARY SOUTHWARD THROUGH STATE TODAY AND INCREASE IN THE SOUTH BY LATE AFTERNOON WITH INCREASING LIFT. APPEARS TEMPS SHOULD REMAIN WARM ENOUGH FOR RAIN TODAY ALTHOUGH SOME MIX MAY APPEAR BY LATE IN THE DAY AS TEMPERATURES COOL BEHIND THE BOUNDARY. FORCING CONTINUES ACRS FAR SOUTHERN IA TONIGHT AS CAA PERSIST ACRS THE STATE. WL SEE TRANSITION OVERNIGHT FROM RAIN TO SNOW ACRS THE SOUTH AS SOUNDINGS LOWER BELOW FREEZING. THIS PCPN WL PERSIST INTO SATURDAY MORNING BEFORE A GRADUAL DECREASE IN ACTIVITY THROUGH THE DAY AS SYSTEM PULLS AWAY. SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS STILL APPEAR LIKELY ACRS SOUTHERN IA WITH 1 TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE. WL SEE A BREAK IN ACTIVITY LATE SATURDAY INTO MUCH OF SUNDAY AS RIDGING PASSES ACRS THE STATE. MEANWHILE...WESTERN TROF WL BE DEEPENING AS STRONG PAC JET PUNCHES INTO WESTERN US. FRONT RANGE CYCLOGENESIS WL OCCUR ON SUNDAY AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM WITH MOISTURE BEING DRAWN QUICKLY NORTHWARD. WAA AND THETA-E ADVECTION MOVE THROUGH THE PLAINS TOWARD IA BY LATE IN THE DAY AND WL SEE INCREASING CLDS AND THE THREAT OF PCPN INCREASING BY LATE SUNDAY. THE FORCING INCREASES INTO SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY WITH PCPN OVERSPREADING THE STATE. CHALLENGES INCLUDE PCPN TYPE AS WARMER AIR SPREADS INTO IOWA. APPEARS SUFFICIENT COOL AIR WL REMAIN ACRS THE NORTH OF SNOW OR RAIN/SNOW MIX FOR MOST OF THE EVENT. FARTHER SOUTH...THE WARM AIR SHOULD BE DEEP ENOUGH FOR PRIMARILY A RAIN EVENT ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. MAY ALSO SEE ENOUGH ELEVATED INSTABILITY FOR SOME ISOLATED THUNDER ACRS SOUTHERN IA BY LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AS WELL. SOME SNOW ACCUMULATIONS APPEAR POSSIBLE ACRS THE FAR NORTH WHERE DEEPER COLD AIR WL EXIST. LITTLE CHANGE TO FORECAST BEYOND MONDAY NIGHT. && .AVIATION...14/06Z VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE TAF PERIOD...WITH SOME A MID LEVEL CU FIELD CURRENTLY ACROSS NORTHERN HALF OF IOWA ASSOCIATED WITH SOME LIGHT SHOWER ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO MAINLY IMPACT KFOD...KMCW...AND KALO THROUGH THE NEXT FEW HOURS. WILL BE NEAR KDSM...BUT HAVE GONE DRY FOR KDSM THROUGH THE NIGHT EXPECTING BETTER CHANCE FOR PRECIP AS NEXT WAVE PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. THERMAL PROFILES LOOK WARM ENOUGH FOR ALL LIQUID PRECIP ACROSS NRN IA OVERNIGHT...BUT STILL A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SOME MIXING WITH SNOW TOWARD 12Z. SFC TEMPS TO REMAIN NEAR FREEZING OR WARMER SO WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FOR POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE NORTH AS WELL. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION...MS LONG TERM...COGIL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 315 PM CDT THU MAR 13 2008 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-141100- EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO- POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN-BUTLER-BREMER-SAC-CALHOUN- WEBSTER-HAMILTON-HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE- BOONE-STORY-MARSHALL-TAMA-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-JASPER- POWESHIEK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-MARION-MAHASKA-ADAMS-UNION- CLARKE-LUCAS-MONROE-WAPELLO-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-DECATUR-WAYNE- APPANOOSE-DAVIS- 315 PM CDT THU MAR 13 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FEW RIVERS ARE AT OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. CONTINUED SNOW MELT AND POTENTIAL ICE JAMS...COULD CAUSE ADDITIONAL FLOODING. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE THREAT OF FLOODING WILL CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE SNOW SLOWLY MELTS. ACROSS NORTHERN IOWA THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL FOR ICE JAM FLOODING. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY SATURDAY...AND ESPECIALLY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THIS COULD INCREASE RUNOFF INTO RIVERS. ACCUMULATING SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY ACROSS NORTHERN IOWA. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED...HOWEVER ANY REPORTS OF ICE JAMMING OR FLOODING WOULD BE APPRECIATED. JUNGBLUTH
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:57 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Iowa Highway Patrol reported water over Highway 330 south of Albion and were in the process of blocking the area off.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, March 2008
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: 75372, 75373.