Archive for the ‘Press Releases’ Category

Be Ready for Spring Floods

The Iowa Flood Center (IFC) offers a suite of online tools, the Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS), that allows all Iowans to access the latest community-based flood information. IFIS is a user-friendly online application based on a Google Maps interface. To launch IFIS, visit http://ifis.iowafloodcenter.org. New for 2017, IFIS offers a more responsive design. New […]

Iowa Flood Information System offers Real-time Flood Information—Perfect for a Rainy June!

During this wet and rainy June, we invite you to check out the latest conditions in your part of the state by visiting the Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS). Individuals can access IFIS by visiting http://ifis.iowafloodcenter.org. (IFIS) is an online tool developed by the Iowa Flood Center (IFC) at the University of Iowa. IFIS provides […]

Become a Citizen Scientist—Help Researchers Understand Precipitation

The NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory is collecting public weather reports through a free app available for smart phones or mobile devices. The app is called “mPING,” for Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground. Members of the public become “citizen scientists” by contributing their observations of weather reports such as wind speed, precipitation types, hail sizes, and floods […]

How has the Iowa Climate been Changing?

By Shianne Gruss, At a recent University of Iowa STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workshop, several middle and high school teachers from across the state addressed this question, as well as how to encourage their students to begin asking the same thing. The workshop, titled “Hot Topic: Climate & Iowa,” was developed in part […]

Flood Inundation Maps for Independence

By Shianne Gruss, IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering Citizens of Independence can now access online maps that show how flooding events are likely to affect their community, homes, and businesses. Independence is one of 14 Iowa cities to be part of the Iowa Flood Center’s (IFC) community-based flood inundation mapping project. “We’ve been moving through and trying […]

New Flood Preparedness Tool for Waterloo, Cedar Falls

A dynamic, new online flood preparedness tool which will help emergency managers improve flood warnings and response has been developed for the Cedar River at Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa. The National Weather Service collaborated with the Iowa Flood Center to develop a library of flood inundation maps for the Cedar River.

Iowa Flood Center Deploys Rain Gauges

IFC researchers have designed and installed 20 state-of-the-art rain gauges with soil moisture probes in the Turkey River watershed in northeast Iowa, with a few more gauges in the South Fork of the Iowa River watershed (Franklin, Hamilton, and Hardin counties) and the Walnut Creek watershed (Jasper County).