The Flood of 2008

In Historical by Jeff Wilcox

No words can describe what occurred across the state of Iowa a year ago. Rivers were cresting or within a week of cresting (some at record levels) across the state. At Cedar Rapids, the Cedar River crested 11 feet above the previous record (31.2 feet) on June 13th. The river flowed into neighborhoods that thought the river would never get …

Camanche Tornado of 1860

In Historical by Jeff Wilcox

The civil war was about to begin only months later. It was quiet hot summertime Sunday afternoon on the banks of the Mississippi River in the little town of Camanache, a town that had just be founded only a few years prior. People were milling around with their activities until they noticed darkening skies to their west. Most townspeople thought …

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Barneveld, WI F5 Tornado

In Historical by Jeff Wilcox

A complex of thunderstorms had moved across the northern part of the state early on the morning of June 7th 1984. By afternoon, the atmosphere had bounced back, temperatures had risen into the 70s and 80s. Dewpoints were approaching or exceeding 70. The first round of thunderstorms developed in northwest Iowa producing numerous tornadoes throughout the afternoon into the early …