Heavy rains during the last week of August resulted in the Cedar River near Conesville, IA going above the moderate flood stage level of 15 feet on August 29 around 5 pm. 4 feet around 415 am August 30.
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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 August resulted in the Cedar River near Conesville, IA going above the moderate flood stage level of 15 feet on August 29 around 5 pm. It crested around 15.4 feet around 415 am August 30. It fell below the moderate flood stage level around 9 pm August 30.
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 Aug 29, 2:10 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 310 PM CDT SAT AUG 29 2009 .SYNOPSIS... 12Z UA ANALYS SHOWS ANOMALOUSLY DEEP VERTICALLY STACKED UPPER LOW IN VCNTY OF LAKE HURON. VISIBLE SATELLITE SHOWS EXTENSIVE AREA OF LOW CLOUDINESS ASSOCIATED WITH SHORTWAVE ROTATING AROUND BACKSIDE OF LOW WORKING SOUTH THROUGH EASTERN MN AND MUCH OF WI. REGIONAL RADARS ALSO SHOW BAND OF MAINLY LIGHT RAIN OR SPRINKLES MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN INTO CENTRAL WI. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY... MAIN FORECAST CONCERN/CHALLENGE IS WITH CLOUD COVER WITH IMPACT ON TEMPS. DIURNALLY DRIVEN STRATOCU ESPECIALLY NORTHEAST 1/2 OF CWA EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE BY EARLY EVE WITH LOSS OF HEATING. ATTENTION THEN SHIFTS TO EXTENSIVE LOW CLOUDINESS ROTATING DOWN OVER EASTERN MN AND WI ATTIM. NEARLY ALL MODELS SUGGEST THESE CLOUDS WILL MOVE INTO CWA LATER THIS EVE AND CONTINUE ADVANCING SOUTHWARD OVRNGT IN RESPONSE TO MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE AND ATTENDANT SFC TROUGH DIVING DOWN BACKSIDE OF GREAT LAKES LOW. TRENDS VIA VISIBLE SATL LOOP SUGGEST THIS REASONABLE AND SO HAVE GONE MORE PESSIMISTIC WITH CLOUD COVER TNGT TRENDING MAINLY CLEAR MOST AREAS EXCEPT FAR NORTH/EAST EARLY IN EVE FOLLOWED THEN BY INCREASING CLOUDS. WEAK FORCING AND SLIGHTLY BETTER MOISTURE DEPTH MAY SUPPORT SOME SPRINKLES OR BRIEF PD OF VERY LIGHT RAIN NORTH/EAST SECTIONS LATER THIS EVE AND POSSIBLY EARLY IN OVRNGT. AS FOR LOWS...WENT NEAR WARM SIDE OF GUIDANCE NORTH 1/2 OR SO DUE TO CLOUDS AND JUST ENOUGH MIXING. COOLEST READINGS LIKELY IN SOUTH WHERE WENT NEAR TO JUST BELOW COOLEST GUIDANCE. MINS THOUGH VERY DEPENDANT ON CLOUDS... IF CLOUD SHIELD REMAINS QUITE EXTENSIVE WITH FEW BREAKS THEN WOULDNT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME AREAS STAY IN THE RANGE OF 50-55 DEGS. LIKEWISE... MORE BREAKS AND SOME AREAS STAY CLEAR LONGER THEN WILL BE COLDER WITH POTENTIAL TO BE AROUND 43-45 DEGS IF WINDS ALSO DECOUPLE. EXPECT THICKER LOW CLOUDINESS TO CONTINUE ADVANCING SOUTHWARD ON SUNDAY WITH ATTENDANT MID LEVEL WAVE. FAIR WX SCT-BKN STRATOCU TO LINGER IN WAKE WITH ANTICIPATION OF GRADUAL INCREASING SOLAR INSOLATION IN AFTN WITH INCOMING SFC RIDGE AND SUBSIDENCE. IN GENERAL HAVE SIDED NEAR TO JUST BELOW COOLEST MOS GUIDANCE ON MAXES. THE AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE WILL BE CRUCIAL ON MAXES ... AS THERMALLY QUITE SIMILAR TO NORTHERN WI THIS AFTN WHERE ONLY IN L/M 50S DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE CLOUDINESS. ..05.. .LONG TERM... SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MON MORNING IS STILL LOOKING LIKE A RECORD COLD EVENT FOR AUG 31ST AT MOST OF THE CLIMATE SITES. UNSEASONABLY COLD AIRMASS IN PLACE...CLEARING SKIES AND SFC WIND DECOUPLE UNDER LLVL INVERSION ALL SUPPORT OPTIMUM SET UP FOR RECORD COLD. H85 MB RIDGE COOL RULE SUGGESTS EVEN SOME UPPER 30S NORTH OF I80...ESPECIALLY IN FAVORED COLD AIR DRAINAGE LOCATIONS. THE ONE THING GOING AGAINST THE ALL OUT COOLING IS THE LINGERING LATENT HEAT IN THE SOAKED TERRAIN. THIS MOISTURE SHOULD ALSO FUEL GROUND AND VALLEY FOG LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND THUS WILL LEAVE THE PATCHY FOG WORDING ALREADY ADDED BY PREVIOUS SHIFTS. EVEN WIT THE GROUND MOISTURE...STILL SEE WIDESPREAD LOW TO MID 40S WHICH WOULD BE RECORD OR NEAR RECORD TERRITORY AT ALL SITES EXCEPT AT CID WHICH IS 38 DEGREES. ON MON...ALTHOUGH WITH LLVL RIDGE AXIS OVERHEAD AND WHAT SHOULD BE A WEAK MIXING DAY...VERY STEEP LLVL LAPSE RATES UP TO BASE OF H85 MB INVERSION SHOULD HELP TEMPS WARM TO WIDESPREAD 70/LOW 70S FOR HIGH TEMPS. LINGERING RIDGE AXIS AN MAINLY CLR SKIES WILL SET THE STAGE FOR ANOTHER COOL NIGHT MON NIGHT/TUE MORNING BUT GUIDANCE IS NOT AS COOL WITH IT/S LOWS. FOR NOW WILL UNDERCUT MOST LOW TEMP GUIDANCE A CATEGORY AS SEE NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE FROM SUN NIGHT TO THE MON NIGHT CONDITIONS. GROUND AND VALLEY FOG MAY AGAIN BE A FACTOR AS WELL BY TUE MORNING. IN THE EXTENDED/TUE-SAT/...BOTH SFC AND UPPER RIDGING OVER THE MID CONUS AND GRT LKS SHOULD MAINTAIN A FAIR AND SLOWLY THERMALLY MODERATING TREND THROUGH AT LEAST WED. THE NEW 12Z ECMWF HAS SIDED WITH THE 12Z GFS IN HOLDING OFF A RIDGE-RIDING UPPER LOW/WAVE NOW UNTIL AT LEAST FRI FOR THE NEXT ORGANIZED RAIN CHC. A TREND TO A MORE STUBBORN EXODUS OF THE GRT LKS RIDGING MAY KEEP THE AREA GENERALLY DRY THROUGH POSSIBLY SAT NOW. BUT LONG RANGE SIGNALS SUGGEST A WARM MOIST CONVEYOR/RETURN FLOW WILL IMPINGE ON LINGERING REMNANTS OF BOTH THE UPPER SYSTEM AND ANY SFC REFLECTION/BOUNDARIES EVENTUALLY BY NEXT WEEKEND FOR AN INCREASE IN RAIN CHANCES. THE PATTERN THIS SUMMER IS THAT WE CAN/T GO MUCH PAST A WEEK WITHOUT GETTING ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AND THIS SEEMS TO BE ON TRACK FOR THE UPCOMING LONG RANGE PERIOD. WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHC POPS FOR LATE WED NIGHT IN THE WEST AND MOST OF THE AREA ON THU FOR NOW AND AWAIT ANOTHER MODEL RUN OR TWO TO ASSESS THE END OF THE WEEK CHANCES. ..12.. && .AVIATION... STRATOCU TO DISSIPATE EARLY THIS EVE WITH LOSS OF HEATING. AFTER WHICH EXPECT LARGE AREA OF LOW CLOUDS WITH GENERALLY MVFR CIGS ROTATING AROUND BACKSIDE OF GREAT LAKES LOW TO ADVANCE SOUTH AND INTO TERMINALS LATER THIS EVE AND OVRNGT... LINGERING INTO SUNDAY MORNING. POTENTIAL FOR FEW SPRINKLES OR VERY BRIEF PERIOD OF LIGHT RAIN TO ACCOMPANY THE LOW CLOUDS TNGT... MAINLY AT KDBQ AND POSSIBLY KMLI... BUT NO RESTRICTION IN VSBY EXPECTED. NORTHERLY WINDS OF 12-16 KTS WITH GUSTS AROUND 20 KTS TO DIMINISH IN RANGE OF 5-10 KTS AFTER SUNSET. ..05.. && .HYDROLOGY... THE SITUATION ON AREA RIVERS CONTINUES TO BE A MIX OF IMPROVEMENTS AND WORSENING CONDITIONS. THE LOWER WAPSI NEAR DE WITT IS HOLDING STEADY FOR NOW BUT IS FORECAST TO RECEIVE MORE WATER FROM UPSTREAM AND THUS START TO RISE AGAIN LATER TONIGHT AND MAINTAIN MODERATE FLOOD STATUS. IN FACT THIS WILL BE IN THE TOP 10 RECORD FLOOD AT DE WITT. MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING ON PARTS OF THE CEDAR...IOWA...NORTH SKUNK...AND SKUNK RIVERS. A HIGHER ESTIMATE OF WATER FLOWING IN FROM UPSTREAM OF COLUMBUS JUNCTION ON THE IOWA RIVER HAS WARRANTED AN UPGRADE FROM MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING PROJECTED NOW FOR SUNDAY. THE PROJECTED CREST ON THE IOWA RIVER AT WAPELLO MAY ALSO BE NEEDED TO BE RAISED SOME...BUT UN-REPAIRED LEVEES IN THAT AREA AND RELATED LOAD LOSS WILL BE A FACTOR FROM THE IOWA RISING TOO MUCH HIGHER THAN FCST. WATER LEVELS WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED AT CONESVILLE OVER THE NEXT 6-24 HRS FOR A BETTER IDEA WHAT MIGHT TRANSLATE THROUGH COLUMBUS JUNCTION AND WAPELLO. THE MAIN STEM MISSISSIPPI WILL SEE GENERAL RISES. SOUTH OF KEITHSBURG...THE MS RIVER WILL APPROACH ACTION STAGE BUT SHOULD REMAIN BELOW FLOOD STAGE. SEE THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS FOR NEW INFO/UPDATES. ..12.. && .CLIMATE... RECORD LOWS FOR AUGUST 30... BURLINGTON 46 1915 CEDAR RAPIDS 37 1915 DUBUQUE 40 1915 MOLINE 40 1915 RECORD LOWS FOR AUGUST 31... BURLINGTON 44 1967 AND PREVIOUS YEARS CEDAR RAPIDS 38 1915 DUBUQUE 42 1967 MOLINE 45 1967 && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && 05/12
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 418 AM CDT SAT AUG 29 2009 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-300930- BUCHANAN-DELAWARE-DUBUQUE-BENTON-LINN-JONES-JACKSON-IOWA-JOHNSON- CEDAR-CLINTON-MUSCATINE-SCOTT-KEOKUK-WASHINGTON-LOUISA-JEFFERSON- HENRY IA-DES MOINES-VAN BUREN-LEE-JO DAVIESS-STEPHENSON-CARROLL- WHITESIDE-ROCK ISLAND-HENRY IL-BUREAU-PUTNAM-MERCER-HENDERSON- WARREN-HANCOCK-MCDONOUGH-SCOTLAND-CLARK- 418 AM CDT SAT AUG 29 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 AREA RIVERS ARE EXPERIENCING FLOODING. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS AND FLOOD WARNINGS FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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, August 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: 192683.