Floods of 2024

I started with the floods in northwest Iowa and southeast South Dakota, but then I learned their were problems in other parts of the US.

(If a caption has a hot link for "Dennis DeBruler," then that is a link to my notes about that flood. In other words, these notes are an index of notes that I have written about flood issues.)

In shore, there was way too much rain in too little time. Several river level records set in 1993 have been broken.

kkac

On Sun Jun 23, 2024, the Chicago Tribune had an article about flooding in parts of Iowa. The Tribune normally doesn't cover flooding outside of the Chicagoland area, so I knew that if they were talking about it, then it must be bad. One town they mentioned was Spencer, IA. I had learned from a Facebook comment that a levee broke in this town.

Dan Gottschalk posted via Dennis DeBruler

The other town that the Chicago Tribune discussed was Rock Valley, IA. "Sierens blared at 2 a.m. in rock Valley, Iowa, population 4,200, where people in hundreds of homes were told to get out as the Rock River could no longer take rain that has slammed the region." The area had 4 inches in an hour and a half.

Chris VB via REUTERS via DesMoinesRegister via Dennis DeBruler

I first learned that things were wet on the plains states with a post about a BNSF derailment. 

Warrior Sports Photography via Dennis DeBruler

And then I learned that BNSF+Dakota & Iowa Railroad lost a bridge over Big Sioux River at North Sioux City

James McCabe Jr. via Dennis DeBruler

The museum east of the bridge has also been flooded.

Ben Brown via Dennis DeBruler

And the town west of the bridge, North Sioux, has been flooded. In fact, some of the homes have been washed away.

ktiv via Dennis DeBruler

While studying the record high river in Sioux Falls, SD, I learned that I-29 was closed between Sioux City and Sioux Falls. And one could not use the side roads to get around the closure because they were in worse condition. The state police suggested that a viable detour was to go up US-75 to Le Mars and then use State Route 60 to Worthington where you can take I-90 back to I-29. [ktiv] The fact that they have you use State Route 60 rather than US-75 indicates that quite a big area around Big Sioux River must have been under water. Later, I learned about what the Rock River had done to Rock Valley.

Sioux Falls Government via Dennis DeBruler

And quite a few towns east of IA-60 besides Spencer were flooded. For example, Sibley. (These are UP tracks.)

Ryan Van Wyk post via Dennis DeBruler

Then I realized that State Route 60 must be built on a ridge between the watersheds of Big and Little Sioux river. This Google Maps display that I came across illustrates this.

As of 1pm Jun 24:

Google Maps

As of 4am Jun 25 while studying the Lake Mitchell Dam:

Google Maps

I wondered if this is enough water to impact the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers when it finally flows further south. Or is this just a drop in the bucket for the big rivers? I have read that they are predicting that the Mississippi River will flood. At least excess water in Duluth and Gooseberry Falls flows to the Great Lakes instead of the Mississippi River. But the water that breached the Rapidan Dam is headed to the Mississippi River.

8:03 video @ 0:25 via Dennis DeBruler

St. Peter, MN, downstream from the Rapidan Dam on the Minnesota River

0:40 video via Dennis DeBruler

Henderson, MN, is further downstream from the Rapidan Dam on the Minnesota River and it has broken its record river level.

1:55 video via Dennis DeBruler

In early April, Pittsburgh saw new record high river levels on the Ohio River.

Dave DiCello via Dennis DeBruler