Flood and Heavy Rain in Iowa, October 1 to 2, 2014

Name: Flood and Heavy Rain in Iowa, October 1 to 2, 2014
Start: 2014-10-01T04:13
End: 2014-10-02T15:30
Location: Iowa

October 1 to 2, 2014 · NWS DMX · 25 events in 11 counties and zones

S. into the central states on the morning of the 1st of October.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 25

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.

A strong upper level trough of low pressure moved out of the western U.S. into the central states on the morning of the 1st of October. A large area of rain and thunderstorms developed ahead of this trough on the north/cool side of an approaching warm frontal boundary located to the southwest of the state. Heavy rainfall occurred with several locations receiving 1.50 to 2.50 inches of rainfall. The heaviest report was a 3.40 inch amount east of Manning in Carroll County. The heavy rainfall resulted in minor flooding along the Raccoon River with the river cresting about six tenths of a foot above flood stage at Fleur Drive in Des Moines.

What forecasters said that day

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 Oct 1, 2:37 AM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 1, 2:37 AM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 1, 3:42 AM CST, 31 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

24 heavy rain, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Greene

When: October 1, 4:13 AM CST
Where: Greene County, 0.69 mi S of Jefferson
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 42.010, -94.380

Rainfall from overnight was 1.62 inches.

Heavy Rain, Cass

When: October 1, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Cass County, 1.25 mi ENE of Atlantic
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.410, -95.000

Rainfall since 1500 CST on the 30th was 1.98 inches.

Heavy Rain, Taylor

When: October 1, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Taylor County, Bedford
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 40.670, -94.720

Rainfall during the previous 24 hours was 2.20 inches.

Heavy Rain, Audubon

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Audubon County, Audubon Arpt
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.700, -94.920

Rainfall of 2.36 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Audubon

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Audubon County, 0.69 mi N of Audubon Arpt
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.710, -94.920

Rainfall of 2.66 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Carroll

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Carroll County, 3.16 mi WSW of Templeton
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.910, -95.010

Rainfall of 3.40 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Carroll

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Carroll County, 0.51 mi W of Carroll Neu Arpt
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 42.050, -94.790

Rainfall of 2.28 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Cass

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Cass County, 1.25 mi ENE of Massena
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.260, -94.760

Rainfall of 2.18 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Cass

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Cass County, 0.69 mi N of Atlantic Arpt
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.410, -95.050

Rainfall of 2.26 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Cass

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Cass County, 1.48 mi NNE of Lorah
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.490, -94.960

Rainfall of 2.06 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Crawford

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Crawford County, 1.72 mi NE of Denison
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.040, -95.330

Rainfall of 1.58 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Dallas

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Dallas County, 3.45 mi N of Linden
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.700, -94.270

Rainfall of 1.99 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Dallas

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Dallas County, 0.51 mi E of Perry Muni Arpt
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.830, -94.160

Rainfall of 2.18 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Dallas

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Dallas County, 0.86 mi NE of Perry
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.840, -94.110

Rainfall of 1.95 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Guthrie

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Guthrie County, 3.49 mi S of Jamaica
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.800, -94.310

Rainfall of 2.04 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Guthrie

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Guthrie County, Bagley
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.850, -94.430

Rainfall of 2.62 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Taylor

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Taylor County, Bedford
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 40.670, -94.720

Rainfall of 2.40 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Taylor

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Taylor County, 4.15 mi N of New Market
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 40.790, -94.900

Rainfall of 1.81 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Union

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Union County, 0.52 mi E of Creston Arpt
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 41.020, -94.360

Rainfall of 1.50 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Union

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Union County, 0.87 mi SE of Creston
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 41.060, -94.360

Rainfall of 1.61 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Webster

When: October 1, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Webster County, 1.47 mi NNE of Harcourt
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 42.290, -94.170

Rainfall of 1.52 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Audubon

When: October 1, 6:30 AM CST
Where: Audubon County, 0.52 mi E of Audubon
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.720, -94.920

Rainfall of 3.10 inches since 1500 CST on the 30th.

Heavy Rain, Guthrie

When: October 1, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Guthrie County, 0.69 mi S of Guthrie Center
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 41.670, -94.500

Rainfall of 2.32 inches in the past 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Dallas

When: October 1, 8:15 AM CST
Where: Dallas County, 2.81 mi S of Dawson
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 41.810, -94.220

Rainfall of 2.04 inches in the past 12 hours.

Flood, Polk

When: October 2, 9:15 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Polk County, 2.14 mi SSE of Des Moines to 2.14 mi S of Des Moines
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 41.570, -93.610

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Iowa in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Iowa, October 2014

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 538987, 538988, 538989, 538991, 538992, 538993, 538994, 538995, 538996, 538997, 538998, 538999, 539000, 539001, 539002, 539003, 539004, 539005, 539007, 539008, 539009, 539010, 539011, 539012, 543944.