Heavy rain fell across portions of central and southern Iowa during the last week of July. This led to flooding at a few locations along the Des Moines River and also on Walnut Creek and the Middle River.
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.
Heavy rain fell across portions of central and southern Iowa during the last week of July. This led to flooding at a few locations along the Des Moines River and also on Walnut Creek and the Middle River.
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 Jul 26, 5:11 PM CST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 611 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2015 ...UPDATED FOR 27/00Z AVIATION FORECAST DISCUSSION... .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT/... ISSUED AT 310 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2015 PRIMARY CONCERNS TONIGHT WILL BE CONVECTION REDEVELOPING AND RADIATION FOG POTENTIAL. IA REMAINS ON SRN EDGE OF MAIN CO/SD/MN/WI WESTERLIES BUT IN THE SUBSIDENCE PORTION OF THE WAVE TRAIN. NOTED DARKENING IN WATER VAPOR WHICH COINCIDES WITH H7/H5 QG IMPLIED DOWNWARD MOTION. THERMODYNAMICALLY...RECENT RAP DOES DEPICT A WEAK H85/H7 WAVE ALONG THE IA/MN BORDER BUT FLOW IS VERY WEAK WITH NEUTRAL ADVECTION...THUS CANNOT SEE WRN DAKOTAS/NE CONVECTION MAINTAINING ITSELF TOO FAR EAST. THERE IS STILL SOME PEAK HEATING POTENTIAL WITH RAP 0-1KM MOISTURE CONVERGENCE SHOWING AN AXIS FROM N CENTRAL INTO S CENTRAL IA...BUT THE LOW LEVEL FLOW IS QUITE WEAK AS WELL. OUTFLOW FROM ERN IA CONVECTION IS APPROACHING IOWA FALLS AND GRINNELL BUT IS REALLY STRUGGLING TO GENERATE ANYTHING AND WITH SURFACE FLOW BEHIND IT NEARLY PARALLEL TO THE BOUNDARY ITS POTENTIAL MAY BE WANING. AIRMASS APPEARS TO BE UNCAPPED AND BOUNDARY IS APPROACHING DEEPER CONVERGENCE AND HIGHER INSTABILITY SO HAVE ADDED TOKEN ISOLATED WORDING INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. HAVE ALSO ADDED PATCHY FOG WORDING AREA WIDE OVERNIGHT. MANY AREAS RECEIVED AT LEAST A HALF INCH OF RAIN OVERNIGHT...AND SOME OVER AN INCH...AND BOUNDARY LAYER HAS REMAINED QUITE MOIST WITH LITTLE MIXING. WINDS STILL NEARLY CALM IN MANY LOCATIONS AND TEMP/DEWPOINT SPREADS ARE LOW FOR 20Z. .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... ISSUED AT 310 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2015 MAIN CONCERN FOR EXTENDED WILL FOCUS ON PRECIPITATION TRENDS AND TEMPERATURES FOR BEGINNING OF PERIOD. LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PUSHING EAST ACROSS NORTHWESTERN US WILL PUSH RIDGE...CURRENTLY ACROSS HIGH PLAINS...EAST INTO IOWA THROUGH TUESDAY. AS RIDGE PUSHES EAST TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY WILL INCREASE...THOUGH MODELS HAVE BACKED OFF SOMEWHAT ON AMOUNT OF WARM UP...AND HAVE TRENDED TEMPS DOWN SLIGHTLY AS WELL. HOWEVER...HOTTEST DAY WILL COME TUESDAY AHEAD OF BOUNDARY SET TO PUSH SOUTH TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. CURRENT FORECAST WOULD INDICATE NEED FOR HEAT ADVISORY ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHERN CWA TUESDAY...THOUGH TEMPERATURES TRENDS ARE STILL SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN...MODELS HAVE BEGUN TO SPEED UP TIMING ON APPROACHING TUESDAY SYSTEM...AND PLACEMENT OF BOUNDARY WILL HAVE LARGE IMPACT ON TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...PRECIPITATION TRENDS MAY HAVE IMPACT ON AFTERNOON WARMING AS WELL. PRECIPITATION REMAINS CHALLENGING AHEAD OF BOUNDARY. WEAK BAND OF ADVECTION PUSHES ACROSS THE NORTH MONDAY AFTERNOON...AND HAVE INCLUDED MENTION FOR PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE NORTHWEST WITH INSTABILITY SUFFICIENT FOR STORMS TO FORM. BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS COME BEGINNING LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS WAVE LIFTS NORTHWEST AHEAD OF BOUNDARY. BEST FORCING REMAINS TO THE NORTH...BUT MODELS ARE BEGINNING TO FOCUS SLIGHTLY FURTHER SOUTH INTO NORTHWESTERN IOWA...AND HAVE TRENDED THIS WAY AS WELL. AGAIN...BEST CHANCE COMES WITH BOUNDARY PUSHING SOUTH FOR TUESDAY...AND MODELS ARE A BIT FASTER AND HAVE SPED UP PROGRESSION OF PRECIPITATION. MAY SEE CHANCES FOR HEAVY RAIN WITH PWAT VALUES NEAR 2 INCHES. BEHIND BOUNDARY...CONDITIONS WILL BE PRIMARILY CALM AND DRY WITH COOLER AIR PUSHING IN. TEMPERATURES WILL BE GENERALLY NEAR NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 80S AND LOWS IN THE 50S AND 60S. NEXT BEST CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION WILL COME NEAR END OF PERIOD FOR THE WEEKEND WITH WEAK BOUNDARY PUSHING SOUTH...THOUGH DO NOT HAVE HIGH CONFIDENCE IN TIMING OR PLACEMENT OF POPS ATTM. && .AVIATION...27/00Z ISSUED AT 611 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2015 MAIN CONCERN DURING THE TAF PERIOD IS POTENTIAL FOR BR OVERNIGHT. THE CHANCES OF SEEING IT ARE BEST ACROSS THE NORTHERN TERMINALS SUCH AS KFOD...KMCW AND KALO WHERE BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE HAS BEEN GREATER DURING THE DAY SUNDAY. MVFR VSBYS...POSSIBLY IFR...ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. SOME HIGH-END MVFR VSBYS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE AT THE KDSM AND KOTM TERMINALS. CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO GO ANY LOWER ON THE VSBYS. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...SMALL LONG TERM...AWB AVIATION...ZOGG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 358 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2015 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-272100- 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- 358 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL RETURN BETWEEN MONDAY AFTERNOON AND TUESDAY EVENING. THERE IS A LOW THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER DURING THIS TIME. TUESDAY WILL BE HOT AND MUGGY ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA...WITH HEAT INDEX VALUES LIKELY EXCEEDING 100 DEGREES AT TIMES IN THE AFTERNOON AND POSSIBLY EXCEEDING 105 DEGREES...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. AWB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Walnut Creek at Clive I-80/35 crested at 13.49 feet at 11:22 PM CDT on 26 July.
The Des Moines River at Ottumwa crested at 12.35 feet at 7:10 AM CDT on 28 July.
The Des Moines River at Eddyville crested at 62.40 feet at 1:45 AM CDT on 28 July.
The Middle River at Indianola crested at 24.90 feet at 2:15 PM CDT on 29 July.
The Des Moines River at Eddyville crested a second time in as many days at 62.00 feet at 8:00 AM CDT on 29 July.
The Des Moines River at Ottumwa crested a second time in as many days at 12.33 feet at 10:30 AM CDT on 29 July.
The Raccoon River at Fleur Drive Des Moines crested at 12.83 feet at 5:15 PM CDT on 29 July.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, July 2015
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: 590675, 590687, 590679, 590678, 590680, 590688, 590676.