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I think I'm going to stop getting excited and writing posts about warmish sunny days from now on, since it seems that every time I do, we get slammed with a nasty bout of weather the next day! Actually, it's not as if the big cool down was not expected ... in fact light rain was forecast for today and we knew the warm weather would not last, but honestly! Hail in February? I've been trying to remember if we've experienced that since we've lived here, and I can't come up with a single instance where we have gotten hail this early in the year. As storm systems go, this was quite a colorful one on radar ... stretching from South Dakota across Minnesota and down into Iowa in lovely (threatening) shades ranging from blue, magenta, red, yellow and green ... for storm afficionados, there was a little bit of everything in this system! 
All morning it was dreary and gray, but early this afternoon the skies turned extremely dark and downright spooky (e.g. it was a dark and stormy afternoon) and right about the time I had to dial into a weekly conference call for work, the sky really opened up and let loose with all sorts of nastiness ... first loud thunder and lightning, then torrential rain and hail, all pouring down at the same time for the next 45 minutes or so. Out the window of my "office" I could tell it was hailing, but little did I suspect what was really going on down there until my call ended ... it seemed like there was a lull in the rain, so I decided to take Hanna out in between storms ... we got as far as the back door, I opened it, she looked out at the pouring rain and came right back in. She was having none of that weather! So I went to the front of the house to get a better look and from the porch steps, this is what I saw.... (click to enlarge all photos)
Regular readers will probably recall that our particular intersection is prone to flooding during heavy rains in spring and summer, but this has to be a first for February as well ... we're used to heavy snows, but flooding? Nope. But of course, as always every year, there are those fools who think they can just charge right through our flooded intersection with no problems, something they usually find out (too late) is exactly the wrong thing to do! By the time I went out, the car in the first photo had flooded out and had been abandoned, right there in the middle of the intersection ... it was removed later but still!
Over the years people have said that I "don't suffer fools gladly (or in any other fashion)" so I felt little to no sympathy for this person who thought s/he could drive right through a good three feet or more of standing water at the bottom of a hill where it flows rapidly from both the east and west sides of the road! Back in the day when we first lived here, we used to go out to help push out drivers from the intersection, but this happens so frequently in summer that we just shake our heads now and wish them luck for being so foolish.... Everyone who lives in the neighborhood knows this flooding happens during heavy rains and avoids the intersection, as do those who actually use their good judgment when driving in the area. I know that sounds really harsh, but honestly, some people just seem to refuse the watery world of evidence in front of them and think they're invincible ... so to the hubris filled go the spoils of the car's engine, interior and who knows what else. 
The preceding two shots show how far the water made it up over the curb and to the base of the steps leading up to our house ... there was really no place for it to go, since the ground is still mostly frozen (and wet from melted snow) and the storm drains are so often overwhelmed that I had a view of what usually happens in June or July during heavy rains. The big difference, as you can see, is that instead of rain, this particular lake contains not snow, but hail! Yep, what Fernymoss said looked like "pond scum" when he saw these photos is the rest of the hail that had covered the street before the flooding started. And when he got home this evening, there were still quite a few piles of hail all around the place hours later, and for all I know, they're probably still there since the temperature quickly plunged down into the 20s at sunset (as if there was any real sun today). 
Here's an example of how quickly the hail piled up ... this is the primrose bed next to the front steps, and as you can see, they're valiantly trying to revive themselves after being buried until just the past few days ... they're looking pretty bedraggled, but that's actually normal, and as soon as the weather moderates, they'll likely spring right back into action. At least it's the first sign of green we've seen in this particular bed! I just hope they don't get too enthusiastic too soon though because here's the most recent forecast for tomorrow:
*Sigh*
Hi folks ...
A good number of people have called, emailed and left comments here expressing kind concern. We'd like to thank all of you for your warmth and compassion.
We personally are fine, and aren't likely to be evacuated unless something truly catastrophic happens in our part of the city. The map to the right is a cropped image I put together to show where we are relative to the voluntary evacuation zones around the city (shaded in light blue). These areas make up the '500 Year Flood Plain' at highest risk for flooding, from either the DM or Raccoon rivers. Fortunately, we are on much higher ground north of the zone on this map detail Where you see that poorly scrawled 'X' is the Urban Oasis corner. For a larger map click here (if you're interested, there's also a PDF of an entire city map in great detail).
So tonight and through the weekend, Des Moines will be watching anxiously and waiting to see how this may proceed in the next few days. Earlier today I saw a report that the DM river had crested earlier than thought, which was what prompted the downtown evacuations. For more, The Register continues frequently to post updated information. They have some very good photo galleries of various parts of the city and across the state.
Tonight, however, I am much more concerned for the northeastern part of the state, in particular Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, because it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the situation there is fast approaching the dire threshold. Iowa City, already experiencing major flooding, remains at very high risk for even worse damage. It still sounds pretty precarious with regard to the Iowa river and that dam in Coralville. For a perspective on conditions in that part of the state, IAboy gives his thoughts at An Iowa Garden. And Cedar Rapids is basically a sunken city at this point ... from what I've read, almost all of the downtown there is under several feet of water, and 25,000 residents (almost a quarter of the population, I think) have already been displaced by the raging Cedar river.
The other night I wrote that the flooding was a statewide disaster. I think I need to revise that to read a region wide catastrophe, as more and more upper midwestern states are experiencing real problems ... Wisconsin (near and dear to my heart) ... Minnesota, parts of Southern Illinois, with Missouri most likely to follow soon .... I sure wish I could teleport some of our (midwestern) excess water to fellow bloggers who have told me they wish they could have some. Me too, because we could share a lot with other states currently undergoing record drought conditions. We could water FARfetched's garden and lawn, and while we're at it, why not help irrigate Annie in Austin's garden, since she's said it's very dry down her way.
I better go get working on that teleporter ... I have a feeling it may take some time.
LATE UPDATE: The Des Moines Register is now reporting that the Army Corps of Engineers and city officials are "confident the Des Moines levees will hold." There remain several areas of the city causing concern, and the voluntary evacuation is in effect through Sunday.
Here we are again, staring down yet another severe weather line heading our way ... And today I read and heard that in terms of severity, the flood of 2008 may be worse than what happened in 1993. Lest I may have led anyone to think it's confined just to Des Moines, I'd like to emphasize that this is a truly devastating Statewide event.
Just tonight, 4 Boys were killed by a tornado at a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, with quite a few other injured. Cedar Falls and Waterloo are hanging on hoping that sandbagging will prevent serious flooding in the cities ... Cedar Rapids has areas under water, and perhaps of most concern in the NE part of the state is the dam in Iowa City, which last I heard was teetering at the very edge of going over. And there are numerous smaller towns in the same situation ... Governor Chet Culver declared 53 of our 99 counties as disaster areas, while also noting that no county has not had some kind of damage from the rains and flooding.
One of our more immediate concerns closer to home revolves around whether the Water Works will flood as it did in 1993, thus cutting off the city's water supply. And in downtown Des Moines, they've been sandbagging for several days, but flooding of some degree seems almost imminent. The Des Moines Register has been doing excellent non-stop coverage tonight, and if you're interested in learning more click on through for much more than the little snippets I've provided here.
At least the longer term forecast is finally for drier days and nights, and everybody in Iowa (I dare to pronounce) is ready to start drying out and taking care of the damage ... everyday people, farmers, gardeners, emergency services, volunteers ... I think it's already starting to wear us down a bit. But we Iowans are known for our capacity to pitch in and bounce back. I wasn't here in 1993, but it seems that everyone seems to know what needs to be done, and flood protection measures have since been made around the city (particularly in the Water Works area).
Wish us luck ...
All morning it was dreary and gray, but early this afternoon the skies turned extremely dark and downright spooky (e.g. it was a dark and stormy afternoon) and right about the time I had to dial into a weekly conference call for work, the sky really opened up and let loose with all sorts of nastiness ... first loud thunder and lightning, then torrential rain and hail, all pouring down at the same time for the next 45 minutes or so. Out the window of my "office" I could tell it was hailing, but little did I suspect what was really going on down there until my call ended ... it seemed like there was a lull in the rain, so I decided to take Hanna out in between storms ... we got as far as the back door, I opened it, she looked out at the pouring rain and came right back in. She was having none of that weather! So I went to the front of the house to get a better look and from the porch steps, this is what I saw.... (click to enlarge all photos)
Regular readers will probably recall that our particular intersection is prone to flooding during heavy rains in spring and summer, but this has to be a first for February as well ... we're used to heavy snows, but flooding? Nope. But of course, as always every year, there are those fools who think they can just charge right through our flooded intersection with no problems, something they usually find out (too late) is exactly the wrong thing to do! By the time I went out, the car in the first photo had flooded out and had been abandoned, right there in the middle of the intersection ... it was removed later but still!
The preceding two shots show how far the water made it up over the curb and to the base of the steps leading up to our house ... there was really no place for it to go, since the ground is still mostly frozen (and wet from melted snow) and the storm drains are so often overwhelmed that I had a view of what usually happens in June or July during heavy rains. The big difference, as you can see, is that instead of rain, this particular lake contains not snow, but hail! Yep, what Fernymoss said looked like "pond scum" when he saw these photos is the rest of the hail that had covered the street before the flooding started. And when he got home this evening, there were still quite a few piles of hail all around the place hours later, and for all I know, they're probably still there since the temperature quickly plunged down into the 20s at sunset (as if there was any real sun today). 
Here's an example of how quickly the hail piled up ... this is the primrose bed next to the front steps, and as you can see, they're valiantly trying to revive themselves after being buried until just the past few days ... they're looking pretty bedraggled, but that's actually normal, and as soon as the weather moderates, they'll likely spring right back into action. At least it's the first sign of green we've seen in this particular bed! I just hope they don't get too enthusiastic too soon though because here's the most recent forecast for tomorrow:
*Sigh*
