River levels remained high along the Des Moines River system from the rains that fell during June. Additional rainfall during the month of July helped to maintain high river levels.
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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 DMX wrote it up.
River levels remained high along the Des Moines River system from the rains that fell during June. Additional rainfall during the month of July helped to maintain high river levels. In addition to the rainfall, high water table levels also contributed to keeping the river in flood. The river had the highest levels during late June and fell slowly during the month of July. Additional damage during July was minimal.
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, 10:41 PM CST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 1141 PM CDT THU JUN 30 2011 ...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION... .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT/... THERMAL RIDGE CONTINUES TO BUILD INTO THE CWA...WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASING THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THIS HAS SENT DEWPOINTS INTO THE MID TO UPPER 70S AND HEAT INDEX VALUES HAVE TOPPED OUT IN THE 105 TO 110 RANGE. DEWPOINTS EXPECTED TO REMAIN HIGH OVERNIGHT WITH VERY WARM AIRMASS IN PLACE...THEREFORE OVERNIGHT MINS EXPECTED TO REMAIN WARM OVERNIGHT. CURRENTLY HAVE TEMPS ONLY DIPPING INTO THE UPPER 70S AT MOST LOCATIONS WHICH COULD APPROACH THE RECORD HIGH MIN TEMPERATURES FOR THE PERIOD. WINDS WILL DIMINISH SOME...BUT A TIGHTENED GRADIENT SHOULD KEEP THEM UP A BIT WHICH WILL ALSO AID IN KEEPING TEMPS HIGHER OVERNIGHT. SOME HIGH CLOUDS MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHERN CWA...SHOULD CONTINUE EASTWARD WITH CLEAR SKIES BY LATE TONIGHT. .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... THE DEEP HEAT WILL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE ON FRIDAY WITH LITTLE CHANGE EXPECTED FROM CONDITIONS TODAY...THUS WILL MAINTAIN HEAT ADVISORY ISSUED BY PREVIOUS SHIFT AS VERY HOT AND HUMID WEATHER WILL ONCE AGAIN PREVAIL ACROSS THE CWA. ACTUALLY TWEAKED FORECAST HIGHS UP A DEGREE OR TWO AS IT APPEARS THAT THE ANTICIPATED FRONT AND ANY ASSOCIATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL NOT ENTER OUR NW CORNER UNTIL SOMETIME AFTER 21Z. WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE NW TO SE ACROSS OUR AREA ON FRIDAY NIGHT...BRINGING MUCH NEEDED RELIEF AND AN END TO OUR BRIEF HEAT WAVE. THUNDERSTORM FORECAST ASSOCIATED WITH FROPA IS PROBLEMATIC. WE WILL BE QUITE CAPPED DURING THE DAY ON FRIDAY...AND MOST OF THE MID/UPPER FORCING FROM A SHORTWAVE ALOFT WILL PASS TO OUR NORTH AND NORTHEAST. HOWEVER...THERE SHOULD BE DECENT LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE ALONG THE FRONT AND WE WILL BE VERY UNSTABLE ESPECIALLY ACROSS OUR NORTHWEST WHERE THE FRONT MAY MOVE IN BEFORE DARK. THERE IS A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR CONVECTIVE INITIATION FROM THE TIME THE FRONT APPROACHES...IF THE CAP BREAKS BY THEN...UNTIL AFTER DIURNAL MAX TIME. HOWEVER AS THE FRONT CONTINUES SOUTHEAST INSTABILITY WILL DECREASE OVERNIGHT AND THE BOUNDARY WILL LARGELY WASH OUT. HAVE THUS GONE WITH CHANCE POPS UP TO 40 ACROSS OUR NORTHWESTERN HALF OR SO THROUGH MIDNIGHT...BUT ONLY SLIGHTS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN HALF THEREAFTER. FROM SATURDAY INTO TUESDAY WE WILL REMAIN BENEATH WEST NORTHWESTERLY 500 MB FLOW AS THE DEEP LAYER RIDGE IS SHUNTED OFF TO OUR SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST. WITHIN THIS REGIME WE SHOULD SEE RELATIVELY MILD SUMMER WEATHER WITH NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND INTERMITTENT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. THE BEST RAIN CHANCES DURING THIS TIME WILL BE ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...AS A 500 MB SHORTWAVE MOVES FROM NW TO SE ACROSS THE REGION AND SHUNTS THE SURFACE HIGH OFF TO OUR EAST...PUTTING US IN MORE OF A LOW-LEVEL WAA REGIME WITH SOUTHEASTERLY SURFACE WINDS. THE SEVERE POTENTIAL DURING THIS TIME APPEARS LOW AS THERE IS LITTLE TO SUPPORT ORGANIZED CONVECTION. SOMETIME AROUND LATE TUESDAY OR TUESDAY NIGHT IT APPEARS LIKELY THAT A SOMEWHAT STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION BRINGING COOLER WEATHER AROUND MIDWEEK. THERE IS BETTER SUPPORT FOR WIDER COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH THIS FROPA HOWEVER LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN TIMING AND LOCATION ATTM PRECLUDES HIGHER THAN 20 TO 30 POPS. THESE WILL LIKELY INCREASE AS THE DETAILS OF THIS SYSTEM COME INTO BETTER FOCUS OVER THE COMING DAYS. BEHIND THE FRONT HAVE GONE WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE LOWER 80S ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WHICH SHOULD FEEL QUITE NICE AFTER THE PRECEDING WEEK. && AVIATION...01/06Z VFR CONDITIONS CONTINUE WITH LARGE RIDGE IN PLACE PROVIDING SOUTHERLY WINDS DURING MUCH OF THE TAF FORECAST PERIOD. COLD FRONT LOOKS TO PUSH THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT BRINGING A SMALL CHANCE OF TSTM. LOW CONFIDENCE WITH TRYING TO PINPOINT TIMING OF ANY CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT AS LOOKS TO BE CLOSER TO 06Z SATURDAY. MENTIONED INCREASING CLOUDS AND WIND SHIFT FRIDAY EVENING. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HEAT ADVISORY FOR ENTIRE AREA TROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. && SHORT TERM...BEERENDS LONG TERM...LEE AVIATION...PODRAZIK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 936 PM CDT THU JUN 30 2011 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075-081>086- 092>097-020245- 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- 936 PM CDT THU JUN 30 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE DES MOINES RIVER BASIN. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA FOR FRIDAY...WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO RISE INTO THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 90S. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY NIGHT...FOLLOWED BY PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER...THE PROBABILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS LOW AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 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, July 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: 320235, 320238, 320239, 320241, 320242.