Chapter 1 Review

Book Review: A Watershed Year Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008 Edited by Cornelia F. Mutel

1.What Causes Floods in Iowa? by A. Allen Bradley, Jr.

A flood happens when a rivers water capacity is less than the amount of water in the river. This is usually the result of heavy rain fall and ice and snow melting. Flooding occurs regularly, but large floods like the ones in 1993 and 2008 happen less frequently. Floods like those cause large amounts ecological damage to the affected areas.

 In Iowa 90% of floods happen from March to August.Iowa's largest floods have happened in the months of June and July. Flooding rarely happen in the fall and winter months.  Thunderstorms can create floods, but they usually don't create enough rain. Only a stalled front can produce enough rain to cause flooding. In 1993 and 2008 one in five rivers experienced flooding. Both times the state had a wet spring and winter. The 1993 flood was a summer long event. All the summer months had heavy  rainfall totals. The 2008 flood was much more short lived.  The 2008 flood had the wettest winter in 114 years.

The flood of 1993 affected a larger area than the one in 2008, the states of Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin were in its radius. The 2008 flood mainly affected the states of Iowa and Wisconsin. Other states were hit, but it was nowhere near as widespread as 1993. Floods are uncontrollable, and they can hit at any time. We can't control when flooding will occur, but we can be more prepared for it.