Heavy rains during the last week of April resulted in the North Skunk River at Sigourney going above the moderate flood stage level of 18 feet on April 30th around 11 am. 17 feet around 8:45 pm April 30.
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 DVN wrote it up.
Heavy rains during the last week of April resulted in the North Skunk River at Sigourney going above the moderate flood stage level of 18 feet on April 30th around 11 am. It crested around 19.17 feet around 8:45 pm April 30. It stayed in moderate flooding through the end of the month.
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 Apr 30, 2:16 AM CST, 7 hours 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
316 AM CDT THU APR 30 2009
.SYNOPSIS...
AS EXPECTED...THE MODELS WERE TOO FAR SOUTH WITH THE CONVECTION
OVERNIGHT...AND THIS HAS RESULTED IN WIDESPREAD RAIN AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE ENTIRE CWA. MESOSCALE BANDS OF EMBEDDED
CONVECTION...MORE OR LESS FEEDING INTO THE MCV CIRCULATION HAVE
PRODUCED A BAND OF HEAVY RAINFALL FROM AROUND OTTUMWA...TO THE QUAD
CITIES...TO WHITESIDE COUNTY. HERE...AND MORE WIDESPREAD IN THE FAR
SOUTH...A SOLID 0.75 TO 1.75 RAINFALL EVENT SEEMS TO BE UNFOLDING.
MUCH OF THIS WATER HAS NOT BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR IN OUR RIVER FORECASTS
AS THE MOMENT...AND WE MAY SEE SOME CHANGES IN SOME STATEMENTS THIS
MORNING.
...ERVIN...
&&
.SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TONIGHT...
SAFE TO SAY WE SHOULDN/T HEAR ANY MAY FLOWERS COMPLAINING FOR THE
LACK OF APRIL SHOWERS IN A FEW DAYS. TODAYS FORECAST WILL CENTER ON
TIMING OUT THE CURRENT MCV/MCS...THEN TIMING IN THE ACTUAL COLD
FRONT SET TO ARRIVE TONIGHT. TODAY WILL BE MUCH LIKE YESTERDAY IN
THAT COPIOUS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD PREVENT ANY REAL HEATING.
THIS IS GOOD TODAY...AS IT SHOULD STRONGLY LIMIT INSTABILITY FOR THE
COLD FRONT...AND ALSO SHOULD HELP KEEP AREAL COVERAGE OF FRONTAL
RAINS LOWER THAN IT OTHERWISE WOULD BE. HOWEVER...AFTER TONIGHT...WE
WILL BE VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLASH FLOODING...AND IF ANY STORMS DO
FORM...WE WOULD NEED TO WATCH FOR A FLOOD POTENTIAL. WE WILL
FORECAST HIGHS IN THE MID 60S OVER MOST AREA...AND NEAR 70 IN THE
SOUTH. IF WE CAN BREAK UP THE LOW CLOUDS EVEN A LITTLE...WE WOULD BE
HIGHER...BUT AT THE MOMENT...LOW CLOUDS LOOK LIKE A SURE BET UNTIL
THE COLD FRONT ARRIVES LATER TONIGHT. TONIGHT...EXPECT LOWS IN THE
40S NORTHWEST...AND LOWER 50S SOUTHEAST. IN ADDITION TO RAINFALL
CHANCES TODAY...THERE MAY WELL BE AREAS OF DRIZZLE AND FOG ONCE
AGAIN...AND WILL PLACE THIS INTO THE FORECAST IF IT DEVELOPS...BUT
TO KEEP THINGS MORE SIMPLE IN THE SHORT TERM GRIDS...WE WILL NOT
PLACE IT IN YET.
...ERVIN...
.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY...
FRIDAY MORNING SHOULD INITIALLY BE QUIET AS CAA AND SOME SUBSIDENCE
ALLOW DRY WX TO BE SEEN. FCST SOUNDINGS INDICATE A RESPECTABLE
INVERSION JUST OFF THE SURFACE FOLLOWED BY A DRY LAYER AND THEN
MOIST MID LEVELS. THIS SITUATION SHOULD KEEP A FAIR AMOUNT OF LOW
CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA. NEXT WAVE ARRIVES BY LATE MORNING/AFTERNOON
WHICH SHOULD GENERATE SOME ADDITIONAL RAIN FOR AREAS ALONG/SOUTH OF
I-80. CLOUD COVER TO KEEP TEMPERATURES SUPPRESSED WELL BELOW NORMAL
WITH ONLY 50S EXPECTED FOR A HIGH. AFTER SOME LINGERING SPRINKLES OR
SHRA FRIDAY EVENING...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA TO
HOPEFULLY ALLOW SOME DRY WX FOR THE WEEKEND.
SUNDAY NIGHT ON...REALLY MADE NO CHANGES TO THE FCST. HOWEVER...IF
ONE FOLLOWS THE ECMWF...WHICH IS PREFERRED...THEN SIGNIFICANT
CHANCES TO THE FCST WILL BE NEEDED. A WEAK SHORTWAVE PASSES JUST
SOUTH OF THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT. WHAT FORCING THAT DOES OCCUR ACROSS
THE SOUTH THIRD OF THE CWFA MAY ALLOW A FEW SHRA TO OCCUR. WEAK AND
RELATIVELY DRY EASTERLY FLOW SHOULD KEEP MONDAY DRY. HOWEVER...THE
UKMET AND GFS SUGGEST A SYSTEM COMING THROUGH ON MONDAY.
MONDAY NIGHT ON IS WHERE THINGS REALLY GET INTERESTING. IF THE 00Z
ECMWF IS CORRECT...A SIGNIFICANT SPRING STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE
AREA LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY BRINGING MODERATE TO HEAVY
PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA. YET ANOTHER SYSTEM WITH EVEN HEAVIER
PRECIPITATION IS POISED TO IMPACT THE AREA LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
THURSDAY. THE GFS/UKMET DO NOT SUGGEST SUCH SIGNIFICANT STORM
SYSTEMS. THE GFS/UKMET SHOW MINOR WAVES AFFECTING THE AREA BUT THE
GFS SHOWS QPF BULLSEYES INDICATING CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK ISSUES. AS
MENTIONED EARLIER...MADE NO CHANGES TO SUNDAY NIGHT ON. MODEL
DIFFERENCES CAN LIKELY BE TRACED TO THE INTERNAL MODEL PHYSICS AND
HOW EACH MODEL PHASES THE RESPECTIVE ENERGIES. WILL PASS THESE
CONCERNS ON TO THE NEXT SHIFT FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. ...08...
&&
.AVIATION...
IFR TO LIFR STRATUS WILL PERSIST THROUGH AT LEAST LATE
MORNING...WHEN WE COULD IMPROVE TO MVFR CIGS AND VISIBILITY. THIS
MORNING...CIGS BETWEEN 200 AND 500 FT AND VISIBILITIES BETWEEN 1 AND
4 MILES IN MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN AND FOG. RAIN SHOULD DIMINISH TO
DRIZZLE BY 16Z AT ALL SITES. A BRIEF THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE AT
MLI AND BRL THROUGH 12Z TODAY. LATER TONIGHT...VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD
RETURN AROUND 00Z TO 05Z FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST AS A COLD FRONT
MOVES THROUGH THE AREA.
...ERVIN...
&&
.DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR LEE-VAN
BUREN.
IL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR HANCOCK-
HENDERSON-MCDONOUGH-PUTNAM-WARREN.
MO...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR CLARK-
SCOTLAND.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 449 AM CDT THU APR 30 2009 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-011000- 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- 449 AM CDT THU APR 30 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL IOWA...NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST IOWA AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THIS MORNING FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST IOWA...NORTHEAST MISSOURI...AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...AS WELL AS PUTNAM COUNTY ILLINOIS. A LARGE AREA OF MODERATE RAIN...WITH SOME EMBEDDED HEAVY RAIN...WILL MOVE EAST OUT OF THE AREA THIS MORNING. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AFTER 7 AM IS EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN A HALF INCH. THE WIDESPREAD OVERNIGHT RAINS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES THAT OCCURRED ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 30...ARE EXPECTED TO CAUSE ALREADY HIGH RIVER LEVELS TO RISE FURTHER AND MAY WORSEN ANY FLOODING THAT IS OCCURRING. SEVERAL AREA RIVERS ARE EXPERIENCING MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING. SEE THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR UPDATES. A FEW NON SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. ISOLATED HEAVY RAINS COULD OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 34 FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. ALTHOUGH NOT AS CLEAR...THERE MAY BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. ERVIN/08
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
825 AM CDT THU APR 30 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0721 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 NNE CHARLIE HEATH MEM 40.61N 91.87W
04/30/2009 M1.40 INCH VAN BUREN IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0730 AM HEAVY RAIN ESE NEW LONDON 40.92N 91.40W
04/30/2009 M1.75 INCH HENRY IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN MORRISON 41.81N 89.97W
04/30/2009 M1.57 INCH WHITESIDE IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 WSW INDUSTRY 40.32N 90.64W
04/30/2009 M1.40 INCH MCDONOUGH IL TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN MACOMB 40.47N 90.68W
04/30/2009 M1.32 INCH MCDONOUGH IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN KEITHSBURG 41.10N 90.94W
04/30/2009 M1.34 INCH MERCER IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN LA HARPE 40.58N 90.97W
04/30/2009 M1.58 INCH HANCOCK IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN 5 S DEWITT 41.75N 90.55W
04/30/2009 M1.08 INCH SCOTT IA CO-OP OBSERVER
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
826 AM CDT THU APR 30 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0825 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 SSW BURLINGTON 40.77N 91.14W
04/30/2009 M2.50 INCH DES MOINES IA TRAINED SPOTTER
BACK YARD IS FLOODED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
833 AM CDT THU APR 30 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0830 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 SSW SEATON 41.05N 90.83W
04/30/2009 M2.40 INCH HENDERSON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
PONDS ARE FULL AND BASEMENTS ARE FLOODED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
836 AM CDT THU APR 30 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0835 AM HEAVY RAIN 1 W CAMBRIDGE 41.30N 90.20W
04/30/2009 M1.05 INCH HENRY IL TRAINED SPOTTER
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
900 AM CDT THU APR 30 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0600 AM HEAVY RAIN GOOD HOPE 40.56N 90.67W
04/30/2009 M1.25 INCH MCDONOUGH IL TRAINED SPOTTER
0633 AM FLOOD 2 NE COLUSA 40.59N 91.14W
04/30/2009 HANCOCK IL TRAINED SPOTTER
CAMP CREEK NEAR COLUSA TO DALLAS CITY AREA IS WELL OUT OF
ITS BANKS AND FLOODING LOW LYING AREAS. IT IS NOT OVER
ROADS.
0633 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 NE COLUSA 40.59N 91.14W
04/30/2009 M1.85 INCH HANCOCK IL TRAINED SPOTTER
0637 AM HEAVY RAIN 1 E BURLINGTON 40.81N 91.10W
04/30/2009 M2.73 INCH DES MOINES IA TRAINED SPOTTER
MEASURED AT WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT.
0639 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 NNW MUSCATINE 41.44N 91.08W
04/30/2009 M1.11 INCH MUSCATINE IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0644 AM HEAVY RAIN 1 WSW SHERRARD 41.31N 90.53W
04/30/2009 M1.30 INCH MERCER IL TRAINED SPOTTER
0645 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 SE MUSCATINE 41.37N 91.02W
04/30/2009 M1.65 INCH ROCK ISLAND IL TRAINED SPOTTER
0650 AM HEAVY RAIN 6 WNW ROCK FALLS 41.82N 89.79W
04/30/2009 M1.20 INCH WHITESIDE IL TRAINED SPOTTER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN KEWANEE 41.24N 89.93W
04/30/2009 M0.97 INCH HENRY IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN BENTLEY 40.34N 91.11W
04/30/2009 M1.84 INCH HANCOCK IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN DONNELLSON 40.64N 91.56W
04/30/2009 M0.98 INCH LEE IA CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN WAPELLO 41.18N 91.19W
04/30/2009 M1.03 INCH LOUISA IA CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN WASHINGTON 41.30N 91.69W
04/30/2009 M1.59 INCH WASHINGTON IA CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN AUGUSTA 40.23N 90.95W
04/30/2009 M1.18 INCH HANCOCK IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN BURLINGTON REGIONAL AIR 40.78N 91.13W
04/30/2009 M2.25 INCH DES MOINES IA OFFICIAL NWS OBS
24 HOUR TOTAL.
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN DAVENPORT MUNICIPAL AIR 41.62N 90.58W
04/30/2009 M1.46 INCH SCOTT IA OFFICIAL NWS OBS
24 HOUR TOTAL.
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN MOLINE QUAD-CITY AIRPOR 41.45N 90.50W
04/30/2009 M1.01 INCH ROCK ISLAND IL OFFICIAL NWS OBS
24 HOUR TOTAL.
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN DAVENPORT MUNICIPAL AIR 41.62N 90.58W
04/30/2009 M1.46 INCH SCOTT IA NWS OFFICE
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN KEOSAUQUA 40.73N 91.96W
04/30/2009 M1.01 INCH VAN BUREN IA CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN WOODHULL 41.18N 90.32W
04/30/2009 M0.91 INCH HENRY IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN ALEDO 41.20N 90.75W
04/30/2009 M1.30 INCH MERCER IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN MEMPHIS 40.46N 92.17W
04/30/2009 M0.90 INCH SCOTLAND MO CO-OP OBSERVER
0721 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 NNE CHARLIE HEATH MEM 40.61N 91.87W
04/30/2009 M1.40 INCH VAN BUREN IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0730 AM HEAVY RAIN ESE NEW LONDON 40.92N 91.40W
04/30/2009 M1.75 INCH HENRY IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN LA HARPE 40.58N 90.97W
04/30/2009 M1.58 INCH HANCOCK IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN KEITHSBURG 41.10N 90.94W
04/30/2009 M1.34 INCH MERCER IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN MORRISON 41.81N 89.97W
04/30/2009 M1.57 INCH WHITESIDE IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 WSW INDUSTRY 40.32N 90.64W
04/30/2009 M1.40 INCH MCDONOUGH IL TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN 5 S DEWITT 41.75N 90.55W
04/30/2009 M1.08 INCH SCOTT IA CO-OP OBSERVER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN MACOMB 40.47N 90.68W
04/30/2009 M1.32 INCH MCDONOUGH IL CO-OP OBSERVER
0825 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 SSW BURLINGTON 40.77N 91.14W
04/30/2009 M2.50 INCH DES MOINES IA TRAINED SPOTTER
BACK YARD IS FLOODED.
0830 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 SSW SEATON 41.05N 90.83W
04/30/2009 M2.40 INCH HENDERSON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
PONDS ARE FULL AND BASEMENTS ARE FLOODED.
0835 AM HEAVY RAIN 1 W CAMBRIDGE 41.30N 90.20W
04/30/2009 M1.05 INCH HENRY IL TRAINED SPOTTER
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
930 AM CDT THU APR 30 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0930 AM HEAVY RAIN 5 NW CROTON 40.64N 91.74W
04/30/2009 M1.00 INCH VAN BUREN IA TRAINED SPOTTER
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rains during the last week of April resulted in the North Skunk River at Sigourney going above the moderate flood stage level of 18 feet on April 30th around 11 am. It crested around 19.17 feet around 8:45 pm April 30. It stayed in moderate flooding through the end of the month.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, April 2009
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: 164712.