When Dan Gilles began his undergraduate work at the University of Iowa, he knew he wanted to pursue a civil engineering career path focused on water resources. Although he was aware of IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering’s (IIHR) research impact, his interactions with it were limited. That all changed in 2008.

How well does the short-term precipitation forecast support the National real-time streamflow forecasting system? This study, published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society and led by researchers at IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering and the Iowa Flood Center, addresses that question.

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - Flood specialists in Iowa are investing in enhanced monitoring technology for Northwest Iowa following the devastating 2024 floods. The Iowa Flood Center, based at the University of Iowa, is set to receive $1.75 million in disaster supplement funding from FEMA to install new equipment across Northwest Iowa. The funding aims to enhance monitoring and flood forecasting systems, enabling Iowans to better prepare for future floods.

As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, host Ben Kieffer gathers various perspectives on the impacts its having in Iowa and across the country. We talk with Iowa State University cybersecurity professor Doug Jacobson about how Iowans may be at greater risk for fraud threats and University of Iowa professor and Iowa Flood Center Interim Director Larry Weber shares how shutdowns impact his and colleagues' federally-funded research.

A major expansion of flood monitoring technology is coming to northwest Iowa, following severe flooding in 2024. The Iowa Flood Center, based at the University of Iowa, has secured federal funding to install new equipment across the region.

The Iowa Flood Center (IFC) has released updated flood inundation maps for Decorah, Iowa following repeated flood impacts to the area.  In mid-August, 8.6 inches of rain fell in under 36 hours according to data from the National Weather Service, causing river levels to spike at over 10 feet. To better prepare for future events, local officials asked the IFC to update the flood inundation maps for Decorah to increase the maximum flood stage from 18.5 feet to 22 feet to allow for better planning scenarios in extreme flood conditions.

If states fully commit to the idea, they could build a flood warning system like the Iowa Flood Information System, which is considered one of the best in the country. After a record-breaking 2008 flood, the state legislature set aside about $1.2 million a year for the University of Iowa to develop a statewide flood monitoring system. University scientists deployed nearly 300 low-cost stream and river gauges on unwatched waterways. They combined those observations with USGS river gauges, radar data on rainfall and local hydrologic models that predict how water will move through Iowa’s soil, streams and cement. Eventually, they created an online map that gives visitors a real-time look at water levels in rivers across the state and forecasts for future flooding that update every few minutes.

What started as a rise in river levels quickly escalated into a record-breaking flood that devastated Spencer, Iowa. The Little Sioux River surged far beyond forecast, putting the city’s infrastructure, leadership, and resilience to the ultimate test. The City of Spencer had prepared for a 17-and-a-half-foot river crest. Something the city had seen many times before.

Across much of the Midwest, the atmosphere is becoming warmer and retaining more water, leading to heavier downpours. A two-crop system called relay intercropping could help farmers buffer weather whiplash and boost profits.

We are at the one-year anniversary of a huge natural disaster that changed the arc of summer 2024 for so many people. Siouxlanders had to deal with a variety of trying situations as rivers and lakes rose, with highways having several days of closures. Emergency management leaders in counties across the region worked to keep their communities safe.