Widespread flooding from June continued along several river systems across the state into July. For the most part, rivers crested early and then fell slowly during the first week of the month.
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.
Widespread flooding from June continued along several river systems across the state into July. For the most part, rivers crested early and then fell slowly during the first week of the month. There was little new flooding, however most of the flooding during early July was on agricultural land.
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 Jun 30, 10:50 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1150 PM CDT WED JUN 30 2010 ...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION... .DISCUSSION... FORECAST REMAINS QUIET THROUGH SATURDAY AS UPPER RIDGING PASSES THROUGH THE REGION. UPPER TROF IN NORTHWEST US WILL EVENTUALLY PASS INTO THE PLAINS BY THIS WEEKEND WITH ATTENDANT FRONT PUSHING TOWARD THE STATE BY LATER IN THE WEEKEND. THERMAL RIDGING AND INCREASED MOISTURE ADVECTION IS ANTICIPATED ON SATURDAY PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF FORCING AND THE BOUNDARY ON SUNDAY. SOME CONVECTION MAY SPILL INTO THE WESTERN HALF OF THE STATE SATURDAY NIGHT BUT BETTER COVERAGE IS EXPECTED ON SUNDAY INTO MONDAY WITH THE BOUNDARY PASSING THROUGH THE STATE. DECENT INSTABILITY WILL BE PRESENT WITH THIS FRONT...HOWEVER THE BEST SHEAR WILL PASS TO THE NORTH. ANTICIPATE AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ON SUNDAY WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW SEVERE STORMS...HOWEVER WITH THE LIMTED SHEAR...DONT ANTICIPATE WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER AT THIS POINT. GIVEN GOOD MOISTURE FLOW INTO THE STATE...MAY SEE SOME LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINS WITH WIDESPREAD AMOUNTS REACHING AN INCH OR SO...WHICH IS MORE TYPICAL OF THIS TIME OF YEAR. CONCERN IN EXTENDED IS THE DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS. GFS REMAINS PROGRESSIVE WITH THE SYSTEM AND QPF IS LIMITED. THE ECMWF IS SLOWER AND LINGERS THE BOUNDARY AND PCPN IN THE STATE INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WOULD BE MORE PROBLEMATIC IN THAT THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINS WOULD PERSIST LONGER. FORTUNATELY...THE CURRENT WEEK OF DRY WEATHER IS ALLOWING FOR SOME RECOVERY IN STREAMS AND RIVERS SO A WIDESPREAD INCH OR SO SHOULD NOT DO MUCH TO THE RIVERS OTHER THAN TO SLOW THEIR RETREAT OR PRODUCE MINOR RISES. HOWEVER...IF AMOUNTS BEGIN TO GET MUCH HIGHER THEN LARGER ISSUES WOULD ARISE. IT CERTAINLY BEARS WATCHING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. && .HYDROLOGY... ...MAJOR FLOODING EXPECTED ALONG THE DES MOINES RIVER...WITH WATER OVERTOPPING THE EMERGENCY SPILLWAY AT SAYLORVILLE RESERVOIR THURSDAY MORNING... THE DES MOINES RIVER CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CONCERN FOR THE NEXT WEEK. FORECAST INFLOWS INTO SAYLORVILLE RESERVOIR ARE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THOSE OF YESTERDAY...CONTINUING THE TREND OF LOWER INFLOW FORECASTS FROM DAY TO DAY. DUE TO THE LOWER INFLOWS...FORECAST OUTFLOWS WILL BE LESS...RESULTING IN LOWER CRESTS DOWNSTREAM TO THE RACCOON RIVER THAN WERE EXPECTED YESTERDAY. THE RACCOON RIVER FROM FLEUR DRIVE DOWNSTREAM TO THE CONFLUENCE WITH THE DES MOINES RIVER WILL EXPERIENCE A SECONDARY...BUT SMALL CREST LATE THIS WEEK. THIS SECONDARY CREST IS EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH SATURDAY...BEFORE THE RIVER BEGINS FALLING AGAIN. BACKWATER FROM THE HIGH DES MOINES RIVER IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE THIS SMALL...BUT SECONDARY RISE. OF ADDITIONAL CONCERN IS THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE RAINFALL FROM EARLY NEXT WEEK ONWARD...AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON RIVERS. A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY PERSISTS IN THE FORECAST HOWEVER. FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK...TODAY/S 00Z NAEFS RUN SHOWS A 30 TO 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF AT LEAST 1 INCH OF RAINFALL ACROSS IOWA. THESE PROBABILITIES EXPANDED FROM YESTERDAY. IF THIS RAIN DOES OCCUR...THE GREATEST IMPACTS WOULD EXPECTED TO BE FROM RED ROCK RESERVOIR DOWNSTREAM. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR...AGAIN THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN THIS RAINFALL OCCURRING. QUICK SUMMARY OF ONGOING AND FORECAST FLOODING...AS OF 6/30 AT AT 20Z +++ WEST FORK DES MOINES RIVER...MAJOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. +++ DES MOINES RIVER...MAJOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. ++ SOUTH SKUNK RIVER...MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. ++ NORTH RACCOON RIVER...MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. ++ RACCOON RIVER...MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. + IOWA RIVER...MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. + CEDAR RIVER...MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. + WEST FORK CEDAR RIVER...MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. + EAST FORK DES MOINES RIVER...MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. + BOONE RIVER...MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. + BEAVER CREEK...MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR FORECAST. && .AVIATION... 01/06Z...CONTINUED VFR CONDITIONS WITH SUBSIDENCE ASSOCIATED WITH RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER AREA. WINDS EXPECTED TO INCREASE A BIT WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 20 MPH AS GRADIENT TIGHTENS IN RESPONSE TO SHIFTING OF THE RIDGE AXIS. OTHERWISE...EXPECT CU FIELD TO DEVELOP OVER STATE BY EARLY AFTERNOON. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...LEE LONG TERM...COGIL HYDROLOGY...ZOGG AVIATION...HINSBERGER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 500 AM CDT WED JUN 30 2010 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086- 092>097-011000- 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- 500 AM CDT WED JUN 30 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL RETURN TO THE AREA FROM SATURDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. A FEW STORMS MAY BE SEVERE DURING THIS PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY. DONAVON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, July 2010
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: 238459, 238462, 238464, 238465, 238466, 238467, 238468, 238469, 238471, 238473, 238475, 238476, 238478, 238479, 238480, 238481, 238484.