A prolonged and exceptionally wet fall combined with successive flash flood events in eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois to bring widespread minor to moderate river flooding to nearly all rivers in this area. In addition, major flooding occurred on rivers, including the Mississippi, Iowa, Wapsipinicon, English, North Skunk, Maquoketa, and Rock Rivers.
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 DVN wrote it up.
A prolonged and exceptionally wet fall combined with successive flash flood events in eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois to bring widespread minor to moderate river flooding to nearly all rivers in this area. In addition, major flooding occurred on rivers, including the Mississippi, Iowa, Wapsipinicon, English, North Skunk, Maquoketa, and Rock Rivers. This major flood event stretched through much of mid October.
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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 7, 6:06 AM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html><!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Iowa River near Lone Tree rose above the major flood stage of 18.0 feet during the morning hours of the 7th and fell back below the major flood stage very early on the 13th. The river crested at 20.4 feet around 430 AM on the 9th.
The Iowa River near Lone Tree rose above the major flood stage of 18.0 feet during the morning hours of the 7th and fell back below the major flood stage very early on the 13th. The river crested at 20.4 feet around 430 AM on the 9th.
The Iowa River at Columbus Junction rose above the major flood stage of 23 feet during the late morning of the 7th and fell back below major flood stage very early in the morning of the 14th. The river crested at 24.3 feet around 1030 AM on the 9th and again at 24.3 feet around 1030 PM on the 12th.
The English River at Kalona, Iowa rose above the major flood stage of 18 feet during the early afternoon of the 7th and fell back below major flood stage early in the evening of the 11th. The river crested at 19.8 feet around Noon on the 8th.
The Iowa River at Wapello rose above the major flood stage of 25.0 feet around midnight on October 8th and fell back below major flood stage around 4 PM on the 14th. The river crested at 26.8 feet around 8 PM on the 11th.
The Iowa River at Margeno rose above the major flood stage of 18.5 feet during the early morning hours of the 10th and fell back below the major flood stage during the evening of the 11th. The river crested at 18.8 feet around 230 PM on the 10th.
Major flooding occurred on the Maquoketa River between the evening of October 10th and the morning of the 11th when the gage exceeded 28.5 feet. The Maquoketa River crested at 28.9 feet at 12 AM, October 11th.
The North Skunk River near Sigourney, Iowa rose above the major flood stage of 21 feet during the mid morning of the 12th and fell back below major flood stage early in the evening of the 12th. The river crested at 21.1 feet around 230 PM on the 12th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, October 2018
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: 789165, 789177, 789201, 789210, 789202, 789154, 789209, 789212.