Heavy rains that fell across portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin in the middle part of September produced considerable flooding on many tributaries of the Mississippi River. As this water moved downstream and into the Mississippi, it pushed the river out of its banks during the last part of September.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS ARX wrote it up.
Heavy rains that fell across portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin in the middle part of September produced considerable flooding on many tributaries of the Mississippi River. As this water moved downstream and into the Mississippi, it pushed the river out of its banks during the last part of September.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 28, 2:35 AM CST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 335 AM CDT TUE SEP 28 2010 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY AT 3 AM...CURRENTLY WATCHING AN AREA OF CLOUDS LOCATED ACROSS THE MINNESOTA ARROWHEAD AND NORTHERN WISCONSIN. WITH BOTH THE 925 AND 850 MB WINDS GENERALLY NORTHERLY THROUGH TODAY...THESE CLOUDS SHOULD ADVANCE SOUTHWARD INTO THE FORECAST AREA. WITH THE 28.00Z NAM/WRF 925 MB RELATIVE HUMIDITY DEPICTING THE EXISTING CLOUDS WELL...THIS WAS USED TO EXTRAPOLATE THE CLOUDS INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING. THIS WOULD INDICATE THAT THE CLOUDS SHOULD RAPIDLY INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA /ESPECIALLY IN WESTERN WISCONSIN/ BETWEEN 28.15Z AND 28.18Z. BESIDES THE CLOUDS...THERE HAS BEEN SOME DRIZZLE REPORTS IN THE MINNESOTA ARROWHEAD EARLY THIS MORNING. HOWEVER THE BUFKIT SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL NOT BE AS DEEP AND THERE WILL ALSO BE SUBSIDENCE BELOW 900 MB...SO THERE ARE NO PLANS TO INTRODUCE THIS INTO THE FORECAST AT THIS TIME. DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON...THE CLOUDS SHOULD RAPIDLY MOVE OUT OF THE AREA. THIS WILL LEAVE A SATURATED BOUNDARY LAYER IN PLACE FOR TONIGHT. WITH A DEEP LAYER OF LIGHT WINDS THROUGH 3 AM...THERE MAY BE ENOUGH TIME TO DEVELOP A LAYER OF STRATUS IN THE RIVER VALLEYS...AND THEN THE WINDS INCREASE 10 TO 15 KNOT RANGE WHICH SHOULD PRECLUDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF DENSE VALLEY FOG. THE ONE EXCEPTION TO THIS WILL LIKELY BE THE WISCONSIN RIVER VALLEY WHERE THE DEEPNESS OF THE VALLEY SHOULD AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DENSE VALLEY FOG BETWEEN 1 AM AND 2 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING. ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ANOTHER SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE REGION. WITH MIXED LAYER CAPES UP TO 300 J/KG ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL WISCONSIN AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM...THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS. DUE TO THIS...THE PRECIPITATION CHANCES WERE RAISED FROM 20 TO 30 PERCENT...AND THESE PRECIPITATION CHANCES MAY NOT BE HIGH ENOUGH YET. THERE WAS EVEN SOME DISCUSSION TO ADD THE MENTION OF THUNDER. HOWEVER WITH MIXED SIGNALS IN THE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY AVAILABLE IN THE GFS AND NAM/WRF. IT WAS DECIDED TO LEAVE IT OUT FOR NOW. DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THURSDAY...THE MODELS INDICATE THAT THERE WILL BE SOME RESIDUAL 850 MB MOISTURE IN THE WAKE OF THIS FRONT. DUE TO THIS...THE PERCENTAGE OF CLOUDS IN THE GRIDS WERE INCREASED SOME. .LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...A SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING WITH IT MUCH COOLER AIR. 850 MB TEMPERATURES WILL DROP FROM 4 TO 6C ON FRIDAY EVENING TO AROUND -2C BY SATURDAY EVENING. LOOKING AT THE 850 MB GENERALLY ABOVE 85 PERCENT...THERE IS SOME CONCERN THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE ENOUGH CLOUDS IN THE CURRENT GRIDS FROM FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY EVENING. IF THESE CLOUDS DO LINGER...THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR SATURDAY WILL LIKELY HAVE TO BE LOWERED BY ANOTHER 5 DEGREES. MANY OF THE CONSENSUS MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH DOING THIS. IF THE COOLER HIGH TEMPERATURES OCCUR ON SATURDAY...THIS WOULD GREATLY ENHANCE THE POSSIBILITY OF WIDESPREAD FROST ON SUNDAY MORNING. && .AVIATION...TODAY AND TONIGHT LOW CLOUDS WITH MVFR CEILINGS WERE SPREADING SOUTH ACROSS NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN EARLY THIS MORNING...IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT PASSAGE LAST EVENING. THE LEADING EDGE OF THESE CLOUDS HAS BEEN DISSIPATING BUT THERE IS A MORE EXPANSIVE AREA OF CLOUDS FARTHER UPSTREAM OVER THE MINNESOTA ARROWHEAD. THE 28.00Z NAM SEEMS TO HAVE CAPTURED THIS MOISTURE FIELD WELL AND SUGGESTS THE THE BROKEN TO OVERCAST DECK WILL MOVE INTO KRST AND KLSE AROUND 15Z. AS DIURNAL HEATING TAKES PLACE AND DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE DAKOTAS...EXPECT CEILINGS TO EVENTUALLY CLIMB TO VFR BY LATE IN THE DAY. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DRIER AIR WILL CROSS THE TAF SITES THIS EVENING...WITH VFR CONDITIONS CONTINUING THROUGH THE NIGHT. ONLY CAVEAT IS THAT THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ANOTHER VALLEY FOG AND LOW STRATUS EVENT AT KLSE LATE TONIGHT...ASSUMING THE HIGH PRESSURE AREA STAYS NEARBY DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT/LONG TERM...BOYNE LONG TERM....BOYNE AVIATION...AJ/04
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 550 AM CDT TUE SEP 28 2010 IAZ011-030-MNZ079-088-096-WIZ032-033-041-053>055-061-291100- ALLAMAKEE-BUFFALO-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-GRANT-HOUSTON-LA CROSSE-RICHLAND- TREMPEALEAU-VERNON-WABASHA-WINONA- 550 AM CDT TUE SEP 28 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST IOWA... SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT FLOODING WILL CONTINUE TO BE A CONCERN ALONG THE BLACK... TREMPEALEAU...MISSISSIPPI...AND WISCONSIN RIVERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY FLOODING CONCERNS WILL BE MAINLY ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI AND WISCONSIN RIVERS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... PEOPLE LIVING NEAR RIVERS...STREAMS OR OTHER FLOOD PRONE AREAS ARE URGED TO CALL IN ANY REPORTS OF FLOODING OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO CALL IS SCHEDULED. IAZ008>010-018-019-029-MNZ086-087-094-095-WIZ017-029-034-042>044- 291100- ADAMS-CHICKASAW-CLARK-DODGE-FAYETTE-FILLMORE-FLOYD-HOWARD-JACKSON- JUNEAU-MITCHELL-MONROE-MOWER-OLMSTED-TAYLOR-WINNESHIEK- 550 AM CDT TUE SEP 28 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST IOWA... SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...AND CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THIS WEEK. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO CALL IS SCHEDULED. 04
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rains in the middle part of September across parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin produced flooding along the Mississippi River at McGregor. The river exceeded the flood stage from September 28th through the remainder of the month, but did not crest until early October.
Heavy rains in the middle part of September across parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin produced flooding along the Mississippi River at Guttenberg. The river exceeded the flood stage from September 29th through the remainder of the month, but did not crest until early October.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, September 2010
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: 260710, 260711.