The 1993 Midwest flood was one of the nation's worst natural disasters of the 20th century. Damages totaled 15 billion dollars, 50 people died, and thousands of people were evacuated, some for months. Hundreds of levees failed as the flood unfolded through the summer. The flood was unusual in the magnitude of the crests, the number of record crests, the large area impacted, and the length of the time the flood was an issue. The Mississippi River is most likely to flood in the spring, when snowmelt is often around to play a supporting role. The upper Midwest did have a wet spring in 1993, but it was torrential rains in June and July that triggered the full calamity.
