60
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$4.8M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Buchanan County, Iowa: 60 recorded events between 1997 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 3.5. That places the county #461 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Buchanan County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Buchanan County is the 2000s, when 24 of the county's 60 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Buchanan County archive, flash flood makes up 10.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #461 for this hazard and #5 within Iowa, putting it in the 84.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for flash flood in Buchanan County with 22 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2004 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2025 | WINTHROP | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | INDEPENDENCE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | INDEPENDENCE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | INDEPENDENCE | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2022 | ROWLEY | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2021 | INDEPENDENCE | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 9, 2020 | STANLEY | 0 | $0 |
| May 28, 2020 | JESUP | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 1, 2018 | WINTHROP | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 2018 | FAIRBANK | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Buchanan County
- Thunderstorm Wind 275
- Hail 164
- Tornado 50
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rains of 4 to 8 inches caused flash flooding in the vicinity of Lamont, IA during the late evening hours of May 25th. The fast moving water washed out a bridge in town. The flood waters damaged 240 of the town's 280 homes.
Heavy rains of 2 to 3 inches which fell in about 90 minutes resulted in flash flooding in Independence, IA during the morning of July 22. Several streets on the northwest side of town were flooded with some cars stalled out in the flood waters. Numerous streets were closed due to the flooding.
Widespread flash flooding occurring across Northern Buchanan County. Most roads over Buffalo Creek are closed or will close shortly due to high water. Pine and Otter Creeks coming out of their banks and closing many secondary roads due to high water.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Buchanan County, Iowa?
60 flash flood events are recorded in Buchanan County between 1997 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Buchanan County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Buchanan County measured 3.5.
Where does the flash flood data for Buchanan County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Buchanan County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/buchanan-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.