Floods of June 2024 in northwestern Iowa
Following a heavy, multiday rainfall event that took place between June 20 and June 22, 2024, widespread flooding occurred in parts of northwestern Iowa. Ten U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages with periods of record ranging from 56 to 99 years in length experienced new peaks of record, three of which were more than double the previous peak-of-record: 06483500 (Rock River near Rock Valley, Iowa), 06605850 (Little Sioux River at Linn Grove, Iowa), and 06606600 (Little Sioux River at Correctionville, Iowa). A Presidential declaration of a major disaster for the State of Iowa was approved on June 24, 2024, and the cost of the flooding is estimated at over \$310 million. The severity of this flooding prompted the USGS, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Transportation, to summarize the meteorological and hydrological conditions preceding the flooding, compile estimates of the magnitude of peak flows resulting from the flooding, and update estimates of peak-flow frequency for selected USGS streamgages. Of the 33 streamgages analyzed, a peak streamflow occurred that corresponded to an annual exceedance probability of less than 4 percent at 13 streamgages, an annual exceedance probability of less than 1 percent at 6 streamgages, and an annual exceedance probability of less than 0.2 percent at 1 streamgage.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Title | Floods of June 2024 in northwestern Iowa |
| DOI | 10.3133/ofr20261066 |
| Authors | Mackenzie K. Marti, Padraic S. O’Shea |
| Publication Type | Report |
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Series Title | Open-File Report |
| Series Number | 2026-1066 |
| Index ID | ofr20261066 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Central Midwest Water Science Center |