58
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$813K
Property damage
Flash Flood in Linn County, Iowa: 58 recorded events between 1997 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 2.5. That places the county #490 nationally and #6 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Linn County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Linn County is the 2010s, when 27 of the county's 58 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 Linn County archive, flash flood makes up 5.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #490 for this hazard and #6 within Iowa, putting it in the 84.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in Linn County with 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2014 | CEDAR RAPIDS | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2025 | CEDAR RAPIDS | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2025 | MARION MC BRIDE ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | MARION | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | MARION | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | HIAWATHA | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2025 | COVINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | CEDAR RAPIDS | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2021 | MARION | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 2020 | COVINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 2020 | MARION MC BRIDE ARPT | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Linn County
- Thunderstorm Wind 574
- Hail 389
- Tornado 64
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
One teenager drowned and another was injured when they were swept into a large storm sewer during heavy rains. Three 17-year-olds were playing Frisbee near Arthur Elementary School when one of the boys was swept into the storm sewer and another boy went to try rescue him but was also swept in. The first boy drowned but the second boy came out of the sewer drain more than a mile away in Cedar Lake.
Heavy rains of 5 to 9 inches resulted in flash flooding of much of Linn County on August 27. Several streets and county roads were closed due to the flood waters. Some areas particularly hard hit were Cedar Rapids, Bertram, Central City, and Coggon. Some vehicles were stranded in the flood waters. Several residences experienced flooding in their basements. Numerous streams and creeks flooded out of their banks. Trained spotters and broadcast media also contributed to this report.
Heavy rains caused flash flooding in Springville, IA, and Ely, IA during the evening of July 2. In addition, Hart Road, which is about 5 miles south southeast of Prairieburg, was washed out as a result of the flooding rains.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Linn County, Iowa?
58 flash flood events are recorded in Linn County between 1997 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Linn County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Linn County measured 2.5.
Where does the flash flood data for Linn 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 Linn County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/linn-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.