Water, water everywhere

(Above) Water hazards were marked on County Road S-14 south of Ventura, as water from Ventura Marsh (on right) was making its way across the road to Clear Lake in the wake of persistent, heavy rain Thursday.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy.

Lake level rises more than nine inches

Clear Lake was not exempt from steady rains which have doused the area within the past week.

Clear Lake Public Works Director Joe Weigel reported city crews bypassed at three locations within the city to reduce flooding.  Weigel said the city pumped water to storm sewer lines which flow into Willow Creek and Outlet Creek.

Officials at the city’s Water Department confirmed the rainfall significantly boosted the lake level.  On Tuesday, Sept. 25, the level was 9.72 inches above the weir.  That was an increase of 9.24 inches from a week earlier.

State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan stated that after an extremely dry week, an active weather pattern returned, bringing above-average rainfall to most of Iowa Sept. 17-23.  Average temperatures were also up to 10 degrees above normal.

Thunderstorms began to race across northern Iowa during the late afternoon Monday, Sept. 17, and thunderstorms were widespread over Iowa with heavy rain Tuesday.  Nearly 15 stations recorded rainfall above two- inches.

According to Glisan, thunderstorms with heavy rain continued across Iowa’s northern third Wednesday into Thursday, Sept. 20, leading to widespread flood warnings. Two-day rain totals were 2.00 to 5.19 inches above average for over 30 stations.

Access Weather Inc., which provides a weather almanac for the Mirror-Reporter, reported the Clear Lake area received 5.94 inches of rain during the week.  As of Sunday, Clear Lake has received 7.78 inches of rain in September; the normal for the month is 2.66 inches.

Temperatures over the period were hot, with many locations 10-15 degrees above average; high temperatures ranged from the mid-80s into the mid-90s with the exception of northern Iowa where rain and cloud cover kept temperatures cooler. Clear Lake’s temperature peaked at 88 on Thursday, but averaged a more seasonal 62-degrees during the week.