Event narrative (NOAA)
Rainfall amounts across Clay County from June 20-22 ranged from 3 to 7 inches. Farther north and upstream, up to 10 inches of rain fell across portions of northwest Iowa. This rainfall resulted in extensive overland flooding and record flooding along the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan Rivers. ||The city of Spencer experienced catastrophic flooding when waters from the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan Rivers overtopped the city's berm system. At peak flooding, approximately 383 people were rescued, leaving hundreds of residents displaced. Eighty homes had collapsed or caved-in foundations and roughly 2,100 structures of the 5,100 throughout the city were damaged by flood waters. Numerous others had sewage backup into their basements. ||Many other residences outside of Spencer were also impacted by fl
Other notable 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.