Another round of thunderstorms brought more heavy rain to eastern Iowa early Wednesday, sending the Little Maquoketa River out of its banks north of Dubuque.

No homes were flooded, but several roads and farm fields were under water, said Dan Bannon, lead dispatcher with the Dubuque County sheriff's office.

He estimated the area received 7 inches of rain.

"It started raining around 10:30 last night and hasn't quit. It's been torrential and it's still coming down," he said.

The National Weather Service said McGregor, which is about 40 miles north of Dubuque, also received 7 inches of rain. No flooding problems were immediately reported.

In the past 48 hours, eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois received 1-8 inches of rain, said Bill Nichols, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Davenport.

"We looking at another heavy rain event tonight, which is going to cause even more flooding issues and the potential for severe weather," he said.

Nichols said he was concerned about rural areas dotted with cornfields.

"The corn is very high, the ground is very wet, and if we get a large, strong wind system ... if we get it this evening, it will have a higher impact of blowing over the corn, which causes damage. This is something we'll have to watch," he said.

Nichols says it's normal for thunderstorms to develop during the summer in Iowa, but it is unusual for them to continue for several days.

"It's either feast or famine," he said.

He said this year has been marked by a lot of rain.

"Many places have had 15 inches or more in the past 45 days," he said. "That's over twice the rainfall, maybe even three times in some places."

A flood watch was issued into Thursday morning for much of the eastern third of Iowa.

A strong cold front was expected to push into the state by Thursday afternoon, bringing drier and cooler weather into the weekend.