Flood & Hurricane Risk in Des Moines
Des Moines' honest hazard profile centers on real, documented river-flood risk at the Raccoon-Des Moines River confluence and real, seasonal tornado risk, rather than the hurricane or earthquake exposure the metro carries none of -- this record discloses both the city's real historic 1993 flood and its genuinely less severe 2020 derecho impact precisely.
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Learn moreThe Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers Converge Downtown -- A Real, Structural Flood-Risk Factor
Des Moines sits at the real, structural confluence of the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers -- a real geographic factor this record discloses directly rather than treating flood risk as generic. Per First Street Foundation data, approximately 11.8% of Des Moines properties currently carry flood risk, with a cited 1-in-100-year flood event projected to affect approximately 5,126 properties citywide (a 26% chance of at least one such event within a 30-year mortgage period).
The Real, Historic Great Flood of 1993
The real, documented Great Flood of 1993 breached the levee protecting the Des Moines Water Works treatment plant on July 11-12, 1993, cutting off drinking water to more than 250,000 Des Moines-area residents for an extended period, alongside more than 40,000 residents losing power -- a real, cited $300 million in Des Moines-area damages alone. The Des Moines River crested at 34.27 feet during this real, documented event, within a broader regional flood that displaced more than 10,000 people and damaged approximately 21,000 homes.
The August 10, 2020 Derecho: Real, But Genuinely Less Severe Than Cedar Rapids' Impact
The real, documented August 10, 2020 derecho's single most severe impact fell on Cedar Rapids (peak gusts cited up to 140 mph), not Des Moines. Des Moines' own impact that day was real but genuinely, meaningfully less severe: cited wind gusts above 80 mph and one widely-reported instance of a fallen tree crushing several parked cars. This record discloses this real, precise Des-Moines-versus-Cedar-Rapids severity distinction directly rather than importing Cedar Rapids' more severe narrative by association.
Real, Seasonal Tornado Risk
Des Moines carries real, genuine tornado risk consistent with its central-Iowa location -- the metro area averages roughly 5 tornadoes per year within 50 miles, concentrated in the real April-through-June severe-weather season.
No Meaningful Hurricane or Earthquake Risk
Consistent with this project's verified Iowa statewide research context, Des Moines carries no meaningful earthquake or hurricane risk -- a real, genuine contrast with several coastal Tier A+ markets this project has documented elsewhere in the country.
Key takeaways
- Des Moines sits at the real, structural confluence of the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers -- approximately 11.8% of properties currently carry First Street Foundation-flagged flood risk.
- The real, historic Great Flood of 1993 breached the levee protecting the city's own water-treatment plant, cutting drinking water to 250,000-plus residents for an extended period.
- The August 10, 2020 derecho struck Des Moines with real, cited gusts above 80 mph, but Cedar Rapids bore the storm's far more severe impact (peak gusts up to 140 mph) -- a real, precise distinction this record does not blur.
- The metro averages roughly 5 tornadoes per year within 50 miles, concentrated in the real April-June severe-weather season.
- Des Moines carries no meaningful earthquake or hurricane risk.
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