Iowa floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 99 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 7,383 floods and flash floods in Iowa from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 242 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 21, 2024 flood: 2 deaths and $57.2 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 10 records. Iowa ranks 5th of 52 states and territories by count and 17th of 51 per square mile.
Floods in Iowa, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 7,3831996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 242average
- Deaths
- 18137 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $5.2Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 2010757 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in Iowa?
Iowa averages about 242 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 5th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2010 (757). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Iowa records 1322 floods and flash floods since 1996, 17th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Iowa have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, Polk County leads Iowa: 145 days with a flood since 1996, 253.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Polk County has the most flood records (295 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in Iowa?
50% of its floods and flash floods since 1996 fell in May and June. The busiest month is June (2,273 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 12 · Feb 152 · Mar 554 · Apr 653 · May 1,439 · Jun 2,273 · Jul 1,029 · Aug 562 · Sep 422 · Oct 225 · Nov 5 · Dec 57 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in Iowa?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-21 | FloodPeterson, Clay County One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places, 2024-06-21 to 2024-06-22; the totals are the episode's. A multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22 resulted in widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches across portions of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. As rainfall reached area streams and rivers, major to record flooding was observed, devastating several towns and ... | 2 | 0 | $57M | |
| 2008-06-07 | Flash FloodKamrar, Hamilton County One storm episode: 8 records in 5 places, 2008-06-07 to 2008-06-08; the totals are the episode's. Low pressure developed over Kansas with a strong southerly flow of very moist air streaming into Iowa ahead of it. Surface temperatures warmed into the 80s with dew point readings in the low to mid 70s. A semi-stationary front extended northeast from the low, across northern Iowa during the afternoon into the evening ... | 2 | 0 | $3.0M | |
| 2010-08-11 | Flash FloodSantiago, Polk County One storm episode: 6 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. Once again the atmosphere over Iowa became very unstable during the peak heating of the day. CAPE rose to 3500-4500 J/kg by the mid to late afternoon with lifted indices of -8 to -10 C. The moisture pooled over the state with precipitable water values approaching 2 inches by evening. High temperatures reached the ... | 1 | 4 | $69M | |
| 2019-03-13 | FloodFarragut, Fremont County One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places, 2019-03-13 to 2019-03-17; the totals are the episode's. A 971mb bomb cyclone moved out of the central Rockies on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 and helped to create widespread, moderate to major, and in many cases historic, flooding across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. From 4 to 15 inches of snow cover remained across the mid Missouri River valley, and the ground was ... | 1 | 2 | $57M | |
| 2014-06-30 | Flash FloodCedar Rapids, Linn County One teenager drowned and another was injured when they were swept into a large storm sewer during heavy rains. Three 17-year-olds were playing Frisbee near Arthur Elementary School when one of the boys was swept into the storm sewer and another boy went to try rescue him but was also swept in. The first boy drowned ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2004-05-23 | Flash FloodCountywide, Buchanan County Roads flooded and washed out. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2007-08-19 | FloodPostville, Allamakee County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A nearly stationary front across the region was the focus for thunderstorms across northeast Iowa during the late afternoon and evening of August 19. Excessive rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches in two to three hours caused flash flooding. Allamakee County was included in a Presidental Disaster declaration. | 1 | 0 | $787K | |
| 2013-05-26 | FloodParkersburg, Butler County One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places, 2013-05-26 to 2013-05-27; the totals are the episode's. The continued series of thunderstorms moved across Iowa during the afternoon of the 26th and through the overnight hours of the 26th into the 27th. A stationary front remained in place from central Nebraska into northern Missouri. The front aloft remained over Iowa, setting the stage for repeated thunderstorm ... | 1 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 1999-07-19 | Flash FloodCountywide, Floyd County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. As much as 8 inches of rain caused flash flooding over portions of northeast Iowa. Hardest hit were Rockford and Nora Springs (Floyd County) where an earthen dike washed away and a dam was breached. Both communities suffered extensive damage to homes and businesses due to what was described as the worst flooding in ... | 1 | 0 | $5.0M | |
| 1997-02-19 | Flash FloodDes Moines, Polk County Significant ice jams took place along the Raccoon River along its lower reaches. One occurred where the river flows through a gravel pit on the west side of the Des Moines area. A woman was driving across a flood plain road when one of the ice jams suddenly broke. The water rose quickly and her vehicle was swept off ... | 1 | 0 | $55K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in Iowa
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-06-01 | FloodCenter Pt, Linn County One storm episode: 20 records in 20 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.4B | |
| 2010-06-12 | FloodHanna, Kossuth County One storm episode: 51 records in 51 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.4B | |
| 2008-06-01 | FloodMinerva, Marshall County One storm episode: 9 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $425M | |
| 2019-04-01 | FloodBartlett, Fremont County | 0 | 0 | $115M | |
| 2008-06-07 | FloodStrawberry Pt, Clayton County One storm episode: 18 records in 8 places, 2008-06-07 to 2008-06-08; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 3 | $103M | |
| 2010-08-11 | Flash FloodSantiago, Polk County One storm episode: 6 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 4 | $69M | |
| 1996-06-21 | FloodHarrison County · forecast zone Harrison | 0 | 0 | $59M | |
| 2019-03-13 | FloodFarragut, Fremont County One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places, 2019-03-13 to 2019-03-17; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 2 | $57M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in Iowa?
Iowa's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Iowa | United States | Iowa's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 1,070 | 20,986 | 5.1% |
| 2000s | 2,482 | 54,913 | 4.5% |
| 2010s | 3,241 | 68,322 | 4.7% |
| 2020-26 | 590 | 43,563 | 1.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in Iowa
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-28 | Flash FloodRock Vly, Sioux County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Flash FloodCedar Rapids, Linn County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Flash FloodTwin View Heights, Johnson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Flash FloodLetts, Louisa County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Flash FloodMuscatine County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Flash FloodCovington, Linn County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Flash FloodFairfield, Jefferson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Flash FloodMuscatine County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Flash FloodBeverly, Linn County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-17 | Flash FloodAinsworth, Washington County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-11 | Flash FloodShenandoah Municipal Airport, Page County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-11 | Flash FloodPercival, Fremont County | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in Iowa
FEMA has declared 54 disasters in Iowa for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 54 were major disasters, the latest on September 1, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4942 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 4 |
| 2024-06-24 | DR-4796 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 29 |
| 2024-05-24 | DR-4784 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 29 |
| 2023-08-25 | DR-4732 | Flooding | 7 |
| 2019-04-29 | DR-4430 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2019-03-23 | DR-4421 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 80 |
| 2018-08-20 | DR-4386 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 31 |
| 2017-08-27 | DR-4334 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 9 |
| 2016-10-31 | DR-4289 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 19 |
| 2016-09-29 | DR-4281 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 8 |
| 2015-07-31 | DR-4234 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 19 |
| 2014-08-05 | DR-4187 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 24 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Polk County: the county's whole recordThe Iowa county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in IowaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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