Northwest Iowa — The heavy overnight rains, combined with the rains that came Tuesday have caused many flooded basements, flooded roadways, and even one school late start here in northwest Iowa.
At the KIWA Studios in Sheldon we measured 5.3-inches of rain in the 24-hour period ending at 7:00 this morning. When combined with the 1.24-inches that fell Tuesday, Sheldon’s total for this rainfall event is 6.54-inches, with the rain continuing to fall as of mid-morning. That gives us a total for the year of 43.81-inches of precipitation, or some 21.15-inches…nearly 2-feet….more than the precipitation received at this point in a normal year. In Ashton, one listener even reported that he had so much water in his basement that his basement stairs were floating.
We had several listener reports of rainfall totals Thursday morning: 4 miles east of Sanborn, 5.6-inches of rain fell; George had 3.96-inches; a listener at Luverne, Minnesota measured 2.5-inches in their rain gauge Thursday morning; 2 miles south of Sanborn 7.00-inches of rain was reported; with 8.00-inches reported at Hartley; 4.5-inches in northern Hull, 3.75-inches of rain was reported by a listener 4 miles south of Paullina; Rock Rapids Municipal Utilities report 3.5-inches; and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office at Sibley reported 4.00-inches of precipitation.
Kerry Hanko is a Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, and she tells us there is some light at the end of the rainfall tunnel.
She says that, contrary to the question they’ve repeatedly been asked this morning, this rainfall event is NOT because of Hurricane Florence, the storm that recently walloped the Carolinas.
Images of area flooding can be viewed below……………
Sheldon Country Club – Drone image courtesy Dean Hansen
Floating Basement Stairs in Ashton Residence – submitted by listener
Flooding North of Sanborn – submitted by listener
Road Flooding – submitted by listener
Kennedy Avenue, North of B-40 – submitted by listener
Road Flooding – submitted by listener
Flooded Field – submitted by listener
Water Standing in a Field – submitted by listener
Mill Creek Golf Course, Paullina – submitted by listener
Walmart Parking Lot in Spencer – submitted by listener
Mill Creek Park – Submitted by a listener
