Published on July 04, 2026
Following as much as six inches of overnight rainfall, many Ames streets became impassable after water inundated storm sewers. As of 8 a.m. today (Saturday, July 4), East Lincoln Way east of Teller Avenue still has water on the surface. Also, the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) closed the northbound ramp from Interstate 35 to U.S. Highway 30 due to water on the roadway.
The City of Ames activated its Incident Command Center by 2:30 a.m. Throughout the storm event, staff continually monitored National Weather Service (NWS) information and local stream flow predictions to prepare for any low-level flooding. Heavy rainfall overnight combined with saturated ground, has created conditions for high water levels in area waterways.
Using gauges along the waterways, the City models river crest levels for both the Skunk River and Ioway Creek. Flooding is always a risk during times of significant rainfall. To see the river levels, look for links to the Iowa Flood Information System at https://www.cityofames.org/My-Government/Departments/Water-Pollution-Control/Flood-Watch-Program.
Ames Electric Services responded to 15 electric outages and small clusters of outages throughout the event, and three of those outages require additional work to restore power. In any situation, those served by Ames Electric Services should call the automated outage system at 515.239.5240 to report power outage.
Residents who experienced weather-related damage can submit a report to https://ia-state.orioncentral.com/SelfReporter to be included in a request for state and federal recovery assistance.
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