51
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.9M
Property damage
Flood in O'Brien County, Iowa: 51 recorded events between 2007 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #233 nationally and #20 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flood in O'Brien County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flood in O'Brien County is the 2010s, when 38 of the county's 51 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 O'Brien County archive, flood makes up 10.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #233 for this hazard and #20 within Iowa, putting it in the 91.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flood in O'Brien County with 15 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2024 | SUTHERLAND | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | SUTHERLAND | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | SUTHERLAND | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | GERMANTOWN | 0 | $2.3M |
| Jun 21, 2024 | RITTER | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | SUTHERLAND | 0 | $0 |
| May 31, 2024 | RITTER | 0 | $0 |
| May 22, 2024 | SUTHERLAND | 0 | $0 |
| May 3, 2024 | SUTHERLAND | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2023 | SANBORN | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from O'Brien County
- Hail 203
- Thunderstorm Wind 171
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Persistent moderate to heavy rain caused flooding of fields and other lowlands, including several roads, homes, and businesses. This flooding lasted for almost two days, and was aggravated locally by additional storms during that time. Some roads were damaged or washed out.
Widespread rainfall from September 18-20 totaled generally 5 to 10 inches, resulting in moderate flooding. Most farmland within 1000 feet of the river was inundated as the Floyd River at Sheldon (gage site SHLI4) crested at 2.5 feet above flood stage on September 20.
Widespread rainfall from September 18-20 totaled generally 5 to 10 inches, resulting in record flooding. State Highway 60 and 480th Street were closed due to high water, with the entire flood plain and numerous county roads inundated with flood water. The Floyd River at Alton (gage site ALTI4) crested at a record 10.0 feet above flood stage on September 20.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flood events are on record in O'Brien County, Iowa?
51 flood events are recorded in O'Brien County between 2007 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flood recorded in O'Brien County?
The strongest flood on record in O'Brien County measured 0.
Where does the flood data for O'Brien 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
“Flood in O’Brien County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/obrien-county/flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.