The spring melt was well in progress on the morning of the 19th. The ice on the Des Moines River in Fort Dodge began to break up during the early morning hours.
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.
The spring melt was well in progress on the morning of the 19th. The ice on the Des Moines River in Fort Dodge began to break up during the early morning hours. The ice jammed in town at a point that typically has ice jam flooding each year. Water levels rose several feet within under 2 hours. The river crested about 2 feet over flood stage at the official gage. Levels were higher upstream with flooding in the Breen housing development reportedly worse than the flooding of the previous year. Water was 2 to 3 feet deep in some of the houses. The ice jam action continued off and on through the 19th into the 20th before the ice finally gave way after sunrise on the 20th. Several homes were flooded in Fort Dodge along the river and evacuations took place as water surrounded the houses. There was additional ice action on the evening of the 20th, however the river did not reach flood stage.
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 Feb 18, 11:50 PM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1150 PM CST FRI FEB 18 2011 .UPDATE 19/06Z AVIATION DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM /TONIGHT/... LITTLE SENSIBLE WEATHER FOR OVERNIGHT. WEAK RIDGE KEEPS ZONAL FLOW ACROSS IOWA...WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. HAVE TWEAKED OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES UP A FEW DEGREES WITH WEAK WAA AND INCREASING CLOUDS. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE EAST AROUND MIDNIGHT WITH VERY WEAK FRONTAL PASSAGE. MOISTURE IS EXTREMELY LIMITED...SO FRONT WILL PASS WITHOUT IMPACT. STORM SYSTEM PUSHING EAST WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT REGION SLIGHTLY...WITH MIDLVL MOISTURE INCREASING AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE. THIS WILL INCREASE CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE AREA BY EARLY MORNING. LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... STRONG UPR LVL LO PRES MOVING ONSHORE IN THE SW U.S. WILL BE THE WEATHER MAKER FOR THIS WEEKEND. PLENTY OF DYNAMICS WITHI THIS FEATURE AND MDLS HAVE HAD A DIFFICULT TIME HANDLING THE SYS. LAST NIGHT THE ECMWF AND GFS SWITCHED PLACES WITH POSITION/TRACK OF THE LOW. TODAY THE RUNS ARE MUCH CLOSER TOGETHER AND IT APPEARS THE GFS HAS A PRETTY GOOD HANDLE ON THE TRACK AT THIS POINT. PLENTY OF WARM AIR AND MOISTURE WILL BE DRAWN NORTH AS THE SYS LAST NIGHT DID NOT SCOUR OUT THE MOISTURE. THIS TIME THERE WILL BE MORE FOR THE SYSTEM TO WORK WITH. STRONG THETA-E ADVECTION WILL MOVE INTO THE CWA SAT NGT INTO SUN. EXPECT TO SEE A SHARP GRADIENT IN TEMPERATURE WITH THIS STORM WITH MOST OF THE AREA NORTH OF THE TRACK REMAINING NEAR OR BLO FREEZING. THINKING IS THAT THE HEAVIER SNOW WILL BE TO THE NORTH OF THE STATE WITH FREEZING RAIN BEING THE MAIN PROBLEM FOR IA. HAVE OPTED TO GO WITH A WINTER STORM WATCH FROM MIDN SAT NGT UNTIL MON MRNG WITH THE MAIN THREAT FOR BEING ICE ACRUAL. A 3-6 TENTHS INCH ACRUAL IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. THE POSSIBLE SAVING GRACE IS THAT DURING THE DAY SUN...TEMPS MAY PUSH JUST ABOVE FREEZING AND MELT OFF SOME OF IT BEFORE THE COLDER AIR MOVES IN BHND THE STORM. TOTAL SNOW ACCUM OVER THE FAR NORTH SHOULD BE UNDER 2 INCHES...WITH LITTLE ACCUM FARTHER SOUTH. HI PRES WILL BUILD INTO THE STATE BY LATER MON INTO MID WEEK WITH TEMPS FALLING TO AOB NORMAL FOR A FEW DAYS. WARMING IS EXPECTED FOR THE LATER PART OF THE WEEK...BUT ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF PCPN TO THE STATE. THINKING AT THIS POINT IS THAT THIS STORM WILL BRING MIXED RASN INSTEAD OF FREEZING PCPN. && AVIATION...19/06Z FORECAST ON TRACK FOR SATURDAY AND SAT NIGHT WITH STRONG WARM AIR ADVECTION MOVING ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY EVENING. ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL RESULT IN INCREASING SHOWER ACTIVITY SOUTH...WITH POTENTIAL FOR ISO THUNDER PRIOR TO 06Z. HAVE LEFT MENTION OUT OF TAF FOR NOW SINCE KDSM SOUNDING SHOWS NO ELEVATED CAPE. FARTHER NORTH SOUNDINGS HINT AT MIXED FZRA/RAPL OR -SN AS DEEPER MOISTURE STREAMS NORTH. SOME CHALLENGE AS TO SFC CONDITIONS PRIOR TO 06Z AS GROUND TEMPS FROM SAT AFTERNOON MAY INHIBIT ICE FORMATION AT SFC FOR UNTIL AFT 04Z SUN. OTHERWISE CIGS TO DROP RAPIDLY AFT 20/00Z DUE TO QUICK SATURATION AND INCREASING ISENTROPIC LIFT THROUGHOUT THE REGION. /REV && HYDROLOGY... RECENT WARM WEATHER AND SNOW MELT RUNOFF WILL CONTINUE TO HELP BREAK UP ICE ALONG AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS INTO SUN. THE THREAT FOR ICE JAMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING AS WATER BACKS UP AND RISES RAPIDLY BEHIND THESE JAMS. THE ICE JAMS TYPICALLY OCCUR NEAR SHARP BENDS IN STREAMS WHERE ICE CAN BECOME HUNG UP. IN ADDITION...A ROUND OF WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE HALF TO ONE INCH ARE FORECAST OVER CENTRAL MUCH OF THE STATE. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL CAUSE FURTHER RISES ON ALREADY NEAR BANKFULL STREAMS AND COULD CAUSE FURTHER ICE ACTION. MUCH OF THE ICE HAS BEEN FLUSHED OUT OF THE RIVERS OVER SOUTHERN IOWA...BUT HAS YET TO BE FLUSHED OUT OVER PARTS OF THE CENTRAL AND MOST OF THE NORTHERN COUNTIES. TEMPERATURES WILL BE CLOSE TO FREEZING OVER THE NORTH...WITH MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION FALLING AS FREEZING RAIN OR SNOW. THESE TWO FACTORS WILL TEND TO MINIMIZE THE ICE ACTION FROM THE FAR NORTH. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WATCH FROM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT FOR CERRO GORDO-EMMET-HANCOCK-KOSSUTH-PALO ALTO-WINNEBAGO- WORTH. && SHORT TERM...WILKINS LONG TERM...MS FEB 11 AVIATION...REV HYDROLOGY...MS FEB 11
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1012 PM CST FRI FEB 18 2011 IAZ004>007-015>017-191200- EMMET-KOSSUTH-WINNEBAGO-WORTH-PALO ALTO-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO- 1012 PM CST FRI FEB 18 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE EAST FORK OF THE DES MOINES RIVER. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY RAIN WILL DEVELOP SATURDAY EVENING AND CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN OVERNIGHT. THE FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY...MIXED WITH SLEET AT TIMES...THEN CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 TENTHS OF AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT. A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED...HOWEVER REPORTS OF FLOODING...ICE ACCUMULATION...AND SNOWFALL ARE APPRECIATED. IAZ023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086-092>097-191200- 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- 1012 PM CST FRI FEB 18 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE BEAVER CREEK AND THE EAST FORK OF THE DES MOINES RIVER. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY WITH THE MAIN THREAT OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO ANTICIPATED AND MAY LEAD TO FLOODING ALONG AREA RIVERS AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING AS THE GROUND IS ALREADY VERY SATURATED AND THE RIVERS REMAIN FULL FROM THE RECENT SNOW MELT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE SATURDAY NIGHT OR SUNDAY...MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 35. ANY REPORTS OF FLOODING ARE APPRECIATED. REV
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:28 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, February 2011
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: 273972.