Water levels along the west fork of the Des Moines River remained high though the month. Minor flooding also took place on the upper reaches of the east fork of the Des Moines River.
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 DMX wrote it up.
Water levels along the west fork of the Des Moines River remained high though the month. Minor flooding also took place on the upper reaches of the east fork of the Des Moines River. Rainfall shortly after mid month was not all that heavy, but did cause several river sites to exceed flood stage for a few days, however flooding was minor, with crests under a foot over flood stage.
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 Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 19, 5:30 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 630 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011 ...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION... .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT/... SYSTEM DEPARTING RATHER RAPIDLY THIS AFTERNOON WITH BULK OF HEAVIER PRECIPITATION TO OUR EAST. SNOW IN THE NORTH HAS SUBSIDED WITH ONLY LIGHT SNOW...MIXING AT TIMES WITH RAIN. HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THE ADVISORY AT THIS POINT AS ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN UNDER AN INCH. ELSEWHERE...SUBSIDENCE WILL INCREASE OVERNIGHT AS THE UPPER SYSTEM PULLS AWAY. THE THREAT FOR PRECIPITATION SHOULD CEASE IN MOST LOCATIONS AFTER MIDNIGHT ALTHOUGH SOME VERY LIGHT PCPN MAY STILL FALL IN THE FAR NORTH. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO DECREASE OVERNIGHT AS WELL WITH SFC RIDGING SLIDING ACROSS THE PLAINS. CLOUDS ARE FORECAST TO LINGER AS WELL ON BACKSIDE OF THE SYSTEM AS TEMPERATURES DROP ONLY 5 TO 10 DEGREES FROM DAYTIME HIGHS. .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... ACTIVE PATTERN TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE EXTENDED TERM WITH A CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION EVERY FEW DAYS. CURRENT SYSTEM ACROSS THE AREA TO MOVE EAST OUT OF THE AREA AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES INTO THE REGION FOR WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. STILL EXPECT SOME LOW CLOUDS TO LINGER AROUND DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY...BUT SHOULD CLEAR FROM WEST TO EAST. HOWEVER DO HAVE FAIRLY COLD AIR IN PLACE AND COULD SEE A CU FIELD DEVELOP IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDS SHIFT AROUND TO THE SOUTH LATER WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM. A BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DIGS INTO THE WESTERN US FOR THE END OF THE WEEK WITH AN ASSOCIATED SFC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPING IN LEE OF THE ROCKIES. MOISTURE ADVECTION/WAA AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING THE CHANCE FOR PRECIP THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. MODELS SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN WITH TRACK OF THE SFC LOW WHICH WILL IMPACT CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION AND THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. GFS MORE BULLISH WITH THE SYSTEM AND TRACKS THE SFC LOW RIGHT ACROSS THE STATE WITH THE EC WEAKER WITH THE SFC LOW AND FURTHER NORTH. OTHERWISE BOTH MODELS SHOVE THE SYSTEM OFF TO THE EAST QUICKLY IN THE FAST WESTERN UPPER LEVEL FLOW. HOWEVER ANOTHER UPPER LOW DIGS INTO THE WESTERN ROCKIES FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK...SUGGESTING ANOTHER STRONG STORM SYSTEM TO IMPACT THE CWA MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. TIMING AND TRACK STILL UNCERTAIN...BUT CURRENT STRENGTH OF SYSTEM AND PLACEMENT COULD LEAD TO A SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK ACROSS THE REGION. AS FOR TEMPERATURES EXPECT BELOW AVERAGE/COOL CONDITIONS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK WITH A WARMUP INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS TEMPERATURES INCREASE TO NEAR THE SEASONAL AVERAGES OR ABOVE. && .AVIATION 20/00Z... LOOK FOR IFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS FOR CIGS TO CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE EVENING INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING...BEFORE THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE PULLS EASTWARD WITH THE SURFACE LOW IN EASTERN MO/WESTERN IL ATTM. LOW CONFIDENCE WITH VIS RESTRICTIONS OVERNIGHT...BUT CANNOT RULE OUT SOME AREAS OF DZ OR BR WITH THE CAA. LIFR CONDITIONS BEGIN TO IMPROVE LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING BUT STILL HAVE MVFR CIGS THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...COGIL LONG TERM...BEERENDS AVIATION...PODRAZIK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 324 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011 IAZ006-007-016-017-023-025>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-201100- WINNEBAGO-WORTH-HANCOCK-CERRO GORDO-POCAHONTAS-WRIGHT-FRANKLIN- BUTLER-BREMER-SAC-CALHOUN-WEBSTER-HAMILTON-HARDIN-GRUNDY-BLACK HAWK- CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-BOONE-STORY-MARSHALL-TAMA-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE- DALLAS-POLK-JASPER-POWESHIEK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-WARREN-MARION- MAHASKA-ADAMS-UNION-CLARKE-LUCAS-MONROE-WAPELLO-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD- DECATUR-WAYNE-APPANOOSE-DAVIS- 324 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY AND THEN AGAIN NEXT MONDAY. THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER...ESPECIALLY NEXT MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. IAZ004-005-015-024-201100- EMMET-KOSSUTH-PALO ALTO-HUMBOLDT- 324 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS ALSO REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE UPPER DES MOINES RIVER VALLEY. PLEASE REFER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/DESMOINES FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY AND THEN AGAIN NEXT MONDAY. THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER...ESPECIALLY NEXT MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. CAC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, April 2011
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: 289193, 289194, 289192.