10.92 inches of rain fell in Dubuque overnight and rain continues to fall over eastern Iowa. That's a record for the day in Dubuque, and the most of any July day in history. There were unofficial reports of 12 inches in Galena and Peosta.


The rain caused widespread flash flooding, which covered parts of Highway 20 and forced officials to shut down both directions of traffic. Highway 20 was closed between Epworth and Peosta and also from mile marker 313 to the Illinois border. Highway 52 was closed from mile marker 51 to 52.

There were tornado warnings earlier in the evening Wednesday, but there have been no confirmed reports of tornado touchdowns or damage.

Dubuque County emergency responders were busy all night long helping people stranded in vehicles and putting out fires started as a result of the weather.

A house was destroyed by fire on Kelly Lane. Firefighters couldn't get to the flames because the house was surrounded by flash flooding. The owners say they were leaving their home because of the flooding and the fire started in the garage when they started the engine. They think flood water in the garage must have combined with chemicals and sparked with the car ignition. They watched as the house burned to the ground. One firefighter was hospitalized for a leg injury but no one else was hurt.

Perkins on Highway 20 also caught fire around 4:30 a.m. Three employees and one customer were inside the restaurant at the time of a lightning strike, which they believe sparked the blaze.

Earlier in the night, some residents of Dubuque's historic Bishop Block Apartments got a rude awakening. Lightning hit the building and bricks fell from the structure into the street. The area remains closed off as a precaution for further falling bricks.