City of Elkhart- Fire Department

08/13/2026

Seek cover immediately!!!

08/13/2026

Polk County Emergency Alert:

SVRDMX

The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Polk County in central Iowa...
Story County in central Iowa...
Western Marshall County in central Iowa...
Northwestern Jasper County in central Iowa...
Eastern Boone County in central Iowa...
Eastern Dallas County in central Iowa...

* Until 715 AM CDT.

* At 626 AM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line
extending from near Boone to Big Creek State Park to 4 miles north
of Earlham, moving east at 55 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
Des Moines, Ames, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston,
Clive, Altoona, Waukee, Boone, Pleasant Hill, Grimes, Nevada, Adel,
Windsor Heights, Carlisle, Bondurant, Polk City, Huxley, and
Saylorville.

This includes the following highways...
Interstate 35 between mile markers 68 and 72, and between mile
markers 87 and 121.
Interstate 80 between mile markers 107 and 160.
Interstate 235 between mile markers 1 and 14.

07/21/2026

Here we go again…

Polk Co Alert:

FFWDMX

The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
Southeastern Boone County in central Iowa...
Northwestern Jasper County in central Iowa...
Southwestern Marshall County in central Iowa...
Northern Polk County in central Iowa...
Southern Story County in central Iowa...

* Until 145 AM CDT Tuesday.

* At 735 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing
heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2 and 3 inches of rain
have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are
possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected
to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban
areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as
other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Ames, Ankeny, Nevada, Bondurant, Huxley, Mitchellville, Colfax,
Slater, Iowa State Center, Big Creek Lake, Maxwell, Cambridge,
Elkhart, Collins, Alleman, Sheldahl, Kelley, Mingo, Valeria and
Ames Municipal Airport.

07/20/2026

Polk County Emergency Alert:

SVRDMX

The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Northern Polk County in central Iowa...
Southern Story County in central Iowa...
Northwestern Jasper County in central Iowa...
Southeastern Boone County in central Iowa...

* Until 730 PM CDT.

* At 646 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line
extending from near Colo to Huxley to 4 miles northeast of Berkley,
moving southeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect considerable
tree damage. Wind damage is also likely to mobile homes,
roofs, and outbuildings.

* Locations impacted include...
Ames, Ankeny, Johnston, Altoona, Grimes, Nevada, Bondurant, Polk
City, Huxley, Saylorville, Madrid, Mitchellville, Slater, Granger,
Baxter, Saylorville Lake, Big Creek Lake, Maxwell, Cambridge, and
Elkhart.

This includes the following highways...
Interstate 35 between mile markers 90 and 111.
Interstate 80 between mile markers 145 and 149.

07/20/2026

Polk Co Alert:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 500 IN
EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN IOWA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 29 COUNTIES

IN CENTRAL IOWA

BOONE DALLAS GRUNDY
HAMILTON HARDIN JASPER
MARSHALL POLK POWESHIEK
STORY TAMA WEBSTER

IN NORTH CENTRAL IOWA

BUTLER CERRO GORDO FRANKLIN
HANCOCK HUMBOLDT WINNEBAGO
WORTH WRIGHT

IN NORTHEAST IOWA

BLACK HAWK BREMER

IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA

MADISON MAHASKA MARION
WARREN

IN SOUTHWEST IOWA

ADAIR

IN WEST CENTRAL IOWA

GREENE GUTHRIE

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ACKLEY, ADAIR, ADEL, ALLISON, AMES,
APLINGTON, BAYARD, BELMOND, BOONE, BRITT, CARLISLE, CASEY,
CEDAR FALLS, CLARION, CLARKSVILLE, CLEAR LAKE, CONRAD,
DES MOINES, D**E, DUMONT, DYSART, EAGLE GROVE, EARLHAM, ELDORA,
FONTANELLE, FOREST CITY, FORT DODGE, GARNER, GLADBROOK, GREENE,
GREENFIELD, GRINNELL, GRUNDY CENTER, GUTHRIE CENTER, HAMPTON,
HUMBOLDT, INDIANOLA, IOWA FALLS, JEFFERSON, KANAWHA, KNOXVILLE,
LAKE MILLS, MANLY, MARSHALLTOWN, MASON CITY, NEWTON, NORTHWOOD,
NORWALK, OSKALOOSA, PANORA, PARKERSBURG, PELLA, PERRY, REINBECK,
SHELL ROCK, STUART, TAMA, TOLEDO, TRAER, WATERLOO, WAUKEE,
WAVERLY, WEBSTER CITY, WELLSBURG, AND WINTERSET.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...

A FEW TORNADOES LIKELY WITH A COUPLE INTENSE TORNADOES POSSIBLE.
SCATTERED DAMAGING WINDS LIKELY WITH ISOLATED SIGNIFICANT GUSTS
TO 75 MPH POSSIBLE.
SCATTERED LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED VERY LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 2.5
INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE.

PROBABILITY TABLE:
PROB OF 2 OR MORE TORNADOES : 70%
PROB OF 1 OR MORE STRONG /EF2-EF5/ TORNADOES : 50%
PROB OF 10 OR MORE SEVERE WIND EVENTS : 60%
PROB OF 1 OR MORE WIND EVENTS >= 75 MPH : 50%
PROB OF 10 OR MORE SEVERE HAIL EVENTS : 40%
PROB OF 1 OR MORE HAIL EVENTS >= 2 INCHES : 40%
PROB OF 6 OR MORE COMBINED SEVERE HAIL/WIND EVENTS : 90%
MEAN STORM MOTION /MPH/ : SE 35

07/03/2026

If your home suffered any damage from the storm/flooding last night please report it to emergency management via this site. These damage assessments are used to report to the state and for disaster declarations. Photos are encouraged to be added to the assessments as you report. No amount of damage is to small to report. Please share and ensure your neighbors are aware.

Step 4: Document Upload Upload photos or supporting documents for your disaster assistance application. Supporting Documents File Document Type Description (optional)

07/03/2026

Polk County Emergency Alert:

FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON
* WHAT...Low lying, urban area, and small stream flooding caused by
excessive rainfall is expected.

* WHERE...A portion of central Iowa, including the following
counties, Dallas, Jasper and Polk.

* WHEN...Until 515 PM CDT Friday.

* IMPACTS...Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying
and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring. Streams
continue to rise due to excess runoff from earlier rainfall.
Expect many areas of slow moving or standing water. Fourmile Creek
is also above flood stage, including at NE 86th Avenue in Ankeny
as of 5 am.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 511 AM CDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges
indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. Flooding is
ongoing or expected to begin shortly in the warned area.
Between 4 and 9 inches of rain have fallen with isolated
amounts nearing 10 inches.
- This flood warning replaces the flash flood warning for Polk
and Jasper Counties.
- Some locations that will experience flooding include...
Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston,
Clive, Newton, Altoona, Waukee, Pleasant Hill, Grimes,
Windsor Heights, Carlisle, Bondurant, Polk City, Saylorville,
Mitchellville, Colfax, Monroe and Prairie City.

07/03/2026

Polk County Emergency Alert:

SVRDMX

The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Northeastern Polk County in central Iowa...
Southwestern Story County in central Iowa...

* Until 1030 PM CDT.

* At 1000 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Elkhart, or
8 miles northeast of Ankeny, moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
Ankeny, Huxley, Slater, Maxwell, Cambridge, Elkhart, and Alleman.

07/03/2026

We’ve observed some tree branches down and water over a few rural roads as well as some roads in Elkhart. Be cautious now that it’s dark.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
North Central Polk County in central Iowa...
Southeastern Story County in central Iowa...

* Until 200 AM CDT.

* At 813 PM CDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated
thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between
2 and 3.5 inches of rain have fallen in some places. Additional
rainfall amounts of 1 to 2.5 inches are possible in the warned
area as additional rainfall moves over the area. Flash flooding is
ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.

SOURCE...Radar and automated gauges.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban
areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as
other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Huxley, Maxwell, Cambridge and Alleman.

07/02/2026