Flood, Buffalo
- When
- April 3, 8:00 PM CST to April 21, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Buffalo forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.380, -91.754 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Wisconsin, April 3 to 21, 1997
Several homes and businesses were damaged as the Mississippi River reached it's third highest flood on record. 4 feet occurred on the 11th at Alma and 15 feet at La Crosse on the 12th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 6
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS ARX wrote it up.
Several homes and businesses were damaged as the Mississippi River reached it's third highest flood on record. A crest of 16.4 feet occurred on the 11th at Alma and 15 feet at La Crosse on the 12th. Some roads were closed, while barge and rail traffic was dissrupted as well.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Trempealeau
- When
- April 3, 8:00 PM CST to April 21, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Trempealeau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.304, -91.358 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, La Crosse
- When
- April 3, 8:00 PM CST to April 21, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- La Crosse forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Coordinates
- 43.907, -91.115 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Vernon
- When
- April 3, 8:00 PM CST to April 21, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Vernon forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.594, -90.834 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Crawford
- When
- April 3, 8:00 PM CST to April 21, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Crawford forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.240, -90.931 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Grant
- When
- April 3, 8:00 PM CST to April 21, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Grant forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 42.868, -90.706 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood in Texas, April 3, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 3 to 5, 1997
- Flooding in Minnesota, April 3 to 21, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 3 to 5, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 3 to 5, 1997
- Tornado and Debris Flow in Idaho, April 3 to 30, 1997
- High Wind in Washington, April 3, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Washington, April 3, 1997
- Flooding in Wisconsin, April 3 to 10, 1997
- High Surf in Puerto Rico, April 3 to 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Dust Devil in Arizona, April 3 to 24, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Montana, April 3 to 4, 1997
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, April 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5592396, 5592397, 5592398, 5592399, 5592400, 5592401.