During July 2022, rain totals ranged from 2.04” at Northeast Iowa Regional Airport (AWOS) to 12.67” near Ostrander, MN (CoCoRaHS). The greatest 1-day rainfall was 5.25" in Grand Meadow, MN. This rain fell from  7 AM on July 23 to 7 AM on July 24.

Rainfall anomalies ranged from 4” drier-than-normal to 6” wetter-than-normal across the Upper Mississippi River Valley. The wettest areas were found from Fillmore and eastern Mower counties in southeast Minnesota southeast into southwest Crawford and western Grant counties. The following locations had either their wettest or 2nd wettest July.

The driest areas were found along and north of Interstate 94 in Wisconsin and from Floyd County southeast into southwest Fayette County in northeast Iowa. No areas were among their 10 driest.

During the afternoon and evening of July 5, radar estimated 2 to 6 inches of rain fell from Mitchell County in northeast Iowa southeast into northern Grant County in southwest Wisconsin. A Flash Flood Warning was issued for Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek counties in northeast Iowa and another one in Grant County in southwest Wisconsin. In addition, this rain produced flooding along Bloody Run Creek near Marquette, IA between 9:15 p.m. July 5 to 4:30 a.m. on July 6. The creek crested at 8.19 feet at 11 p.m. (Flood Stage is 7 feet) on July 5. 

From the late evening of July 14 into the morning of July 15, a narrow band of 2 to nearly 4.5 inches of rain fell from eastern Mower County in southeast Minnesota southeast into southern Grant County in southwest Wisconsin. The highest reported rainfall was 4.43 inches from a CoCoRaHS observer 6.4 miles west northwest of McGregor, IA. River flooding occurred along Bloody Run Creek near Marquette, IA during the morning and afternoon of July 15 (crested at 9.8 feet at 10:45 a.m. – Flood Stage is 7 feet) and Yellow River at Ion, IA during the morning of July 15 (crested at 13.08 feet at 11:56 a.m. – Flood Stage is 13 feet). 

Also during the early morning of July 15, another narrow band of heavy rain (radar estimated 2 to 6 inches) fell across Clark County from Stanley to southeast of Chili. This prompted 2 Flash Flood Warnings. 3 to 4 inches of water was reported over County Highway X and Copenhaver Avenue (5 miles west of Thorp). Additional water was reported over U.S. Highway 10, County Highway Y, and County Highway H west of Catlin Avenue near Chili.

During the afternoon of July 23, between 2 and 7 inches of rain fell across Dodge, Fillmore, Mower, and southern Olmsted counties in southeast Minnesota, and Allamakee and southern Winneshiek counties in northeast Iowa. A Flash Flood Warning was issued in Mower County. There were reports of water over the road just northeast of Grand Meadow, MN. Additional flooding was reported in Spring Valley, MN and in the La Crosse, WI area. As this water entered the rivers, it caused flooding in parts of northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota on July 24. This included the Middle Branch of the Root River at Fillmore, MN (multiple crests with the highest of 1,004.52 feet at 8:45 p.m. – Flood Stage is 1,004 feet); Upper Iowa River at Dorchester, IA (minor flooding - multiple crests with the highest of 14.67 feet at 2:27 p.m. – Flood Stage is 14 feet); and Yellow River at Postville, IA (crest 972.15 feet at 5:45 AM – Flood Stage is 971 feet) and at Ion, IA (multiple crests with the highest of 13.15 feet at 5:03 p.m. – Flood Stage is 13 feet).

Near record high USGS monthly average streamflows were reported along the Yellow River near Ion, IA (97th percentile) and Bloody Run Creek near Marquette, IA (96th percentile). The monthly streamflows were much-above normal along the Root River near Houston, MN; Turkey River at Spillville, IA; and the Upper Iowa River at Decorah, IA and Dorchester, IA. They were above normal along the Cedar River at Charles City, IA and near Austin, MN; and Turkey River at Garber, IA. The remainder of the rivers in the La Crosse Hydrologic Service Area had monthly average streamflows near-normal.

During July, the Mississippi River at La Crosse, WI had an average 7 AM stage of 5.46 feet. This was 0.77 feet below the 1937-2022 long-term average of 6.23 feet. The highest stage was 7.04 feet on July 1 and the lowest stage was 4.70 feet on July 30. This site has not been at or above flood stage (12 feet) since April 13, 2020. This ongoing stretch of 840 days is the 11 longest without reaching the flood stage. It is the longest since a 1,108-day stretch from April 22, 2011, to May 3, 2014 (the 9th longest stretch). The longest stretch was a 3,986-day stretch from May 12, 1954, to April 9, 1965.

Moderate drought (D1) was seen in southern Grant County in southwest Wisconsin during the first half of July, but quickly ended by the end of the month due to several rounds of heavy rain. Abnormally dry conditions (D0) covered about 13% of the La Crosse Hydrologic Service Area at the beginning of July and this was reduced to just 2% by the end of the month.

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