Event narrative (NOAA)
Rainfall of 5 inches fell across the Missouri Valley area Saturday May 5th prompting the levee along Willow Creek to eventually fail causing substantial flash flooding in and around the Missouri Valley area. |Initally flash flooding was observed due to the heavy rain Saturday evening the 5th near Highway 30 and county road 66. The levee failure caused more substantial flash flooding early Sunday the 6th with many residents barely able to escape the rising flood waters. The area most affected was the southwest part of town, which sat below the bluffs where most of the town is located. At least 77 homes and 6 businesses were flooded and declared an almost complete loss. Many vehicles were also flooded or severely damaged. Interstate 29 was closed for a while near town, along with Highway
Other notable flash flood events in Iowa
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.