143
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$13.1M
Property damage
Flood in Clayton County, Iowa: 143 recorded events between 2001 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #29 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flood in Clayton County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flood in Clayton County is the 2010s, when 112 of the county's 143 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 Clayton County archive, flood makes up 26.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #29 for this hazard and #3 within Iowa, putting it in the 99.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flood in Clayton County with 32 recorded events, while Nov 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2025 | ELKADER | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2024 | GUTTENBERG ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2024 | MC GREGOR | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | GUTTENBERG ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2024 | MC GREGOR | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2023 | GUTTENBERG ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2023 | MC GREGOR | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 18, 2023 | GUTTENBERG ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2023 | MC GREGOR | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 27, 2023 | GARBER | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Clayton County
- Thunderstorm Wind 165
- Hail 142
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Most secondary roads were either damaged or under water. Rainfall totals of 3 to 7 inches were reported during the weekend of June 7-8. About 4000 acres of farm land were impacted. Combined with flooding along the Turkey River, a total of 20 homes were destroyed, 9 with major damage, 15 with minor damage, and recovery costs easily into the millions.
The Turkey River at Elkader established a new record crest at about 6 a.m. CDT on June 10 of 30.9 feet. The previous record crest was 27.3 feet on June 15, 1991. Flood stage is 12.0 feet. The river rose again above flood stage from June 12 through June 14th cresting at 16.63 feet.
Flooding occurred across parts of Clayton County from the combination of rainfall and melting snow. An ice jam on the Turkey River caused flooding to occur near Millville with water going over U.S. Highway 52 and a restaurant sustained major damage. Near the mouth of the Turkey River, the ice jam took out a railroad bridge. Flooding along the Turkey River also occurred in the Osterdock.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flood events are on record in Clayton County, Iowa?
143 flood events are recorded in Clayton County between 2001 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flood recorded in Clayton County?
The strongest flood on record in Clayton County measured 0.
Where does the flood data for Clayton 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 Clayton County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/clayton-county/flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.