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Overview

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In June of 2008 historic river flooding occurred across much of eastern Iowa. The setup for flooding began almost a year prior as a long term wet pattern primed the area for floods. Well above normal rain fell in the fall of 2007, heavy snow fell during the winter months, and then rains of 3 to 7 inches above normal for April kept soils saturated throughout the area. Portions of northeast Iowa observed soil moisture greater than 125 percent of normal. With soil conditions conducive to extreme runoff and rivers already running high going into June, the wet pattern continued with record rainfall through the first half of June. This water swelled the rivers with record levels observed throughout much of eastern Iowa causing extreme impacts to many cities and rural communities, county and state infrastructure, agricultural land, etc.
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Oakville, IA
June 2008
Cedar Rapids, IA
June 13, 2008
Courtesy: Iowa HSEMD/CAP
 
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