Snow that melted in late March, combined with rains in late March and early April, caused the Mississippi River to go out of its banks.
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.
Snow that melted in late March, combined with rains in late March and early April, caused the Mississippi River to go out of its banks.
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 Apr 8, 2:28 PM CST, 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 328 PM CDT FRI APR 8 2011 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT MAIN FOCUS IS ON POTENT STORM SYSTEM AND ITS AFFECT ON THE AREA OVER THE WEEKEND...NAMELY SEVERE THREAT SATURDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING. AREA THIS AFTERNOON UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER SOUTHERN ONTARIO/NORTHERN GREAT LAKES REGION. SOME RESIDUAL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FROM WEAK LOW PRESSURE DEPARTING ACROSS THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY MANIFESTING ITSELF IN STRATOCUMULUS FIELD ACROSS SOUTHERN THIRD OF WI INTO NORTHEAST IA. MEANWHILE...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING A DEEP/CLOSED/DYNAMIC MID-LEVEL LOW ALONG THE CA COAST. THIS WILL BE OUR WEATHER-MAKER FOR THIS WEEKEND. OTHERWISE...TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA AT 2 PM RANGED FROM THE LOWER 50S TO LOWER 60S. 08.12Z NCEP DETERMINISTIC GFS/NAM ALONG WITH THE 08.09Z SHOWING PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH OVERALL SYNOPTIC SETUP THE PERIOD. FOR TONIGHT WILL SEE THE BEGINNINGS OF THE AFFECTS OF THE CA CLOSED LOW WITH SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS TAKING PLACE EAST OF THE CO ROCKIES. INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT/WING OF 850-700MB MOISTURE TRANSPORT AHEAD OF THE WAVE MOVES INTO THE AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ACCAS/SCATTERED SHOWERS. THIS MOISTURE TRANSPORT/CHANCE OF SHRA EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY. OTHERWISE...WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL KICK HIGHS INTO THE UPPER 50S TO PERHAPS SOME UPPER 60S ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IA INTO SOUTHWEST WI. SATURDAY NIGHT LOOKING MORE LIKE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT AS DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE OVER THE PLAINS PUSHES A WARM FRONT INTO THE AREA ON AN INCREASING LOW LEVEL JET. ALL MODELS SHOWING VERY STRONG 925-850MB MOISTURE TRANSPORT INTO/OVER THE WARM FRONT PUSHING NORTH ACROSS THE AREA. IT APPEARS THAT MOST OF THIS THUNDER WILL BE ELEVATED IN NATURE NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT WITH MAINLY A LARGE HAIL SEVERE THREAT. HOWEVER...WILL HAVE TO WATCH THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE WARM FRONT WHERE BETTER STORM INFLOW/HELICITY MAY PRODUCE AN ISOLATED TORNADO THREAT. MODELS SHOWING THE WARM FRONT/ASSOCIATED CONVECTION PUSHING ACROSS THE FAR NORTH BY LATER SUNDAY MORNING. AS THE SURFACE LOW TRACKS INTO MN...VERY WARM AIR WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA IN THE WARM SECTOR WITH HIGHS EXPECTED TO GET INTO THE UPPER 70S/LOWER 80S. SEVERE THREAT LOOKING A BIT TRICKY INTO THE AFTERNOON/EVENING AS THE THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A VERY STRONG CAP //CENTERED AROUND 850MB PER NAM BUFKIT// TO INHIBIT CONVECTION. BUT WITH MID LEVEL COOLING LATER IN THE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING AND CAP DOES BREAK...AN EXPLOSIVE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WOULD ERUPT ALONG THE PRE-COLD FRONTAL DEW POINT DISCONTINUITY/DRY LINE. AMPLE SHEAR AND CAPE FOR SUPERCELLULAR THUNDERSTORM/TORNADIC THREAT...ALONG WITH LARGE HAIL/DAMAGING WINDS. WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP A VERY CLOSE EYE ON THIS SEVERE POTENTIAL. AS THE LOW TRACKS NORTHEAST INTO NORTHWEST WI/WESTERN UPPER MI AROUND MIDNIGHT...THE COLD FRONT AND LINE OF CONVECTION SHOULD BE PUSHED INTO EASTERN WI. MODELS HINTING AT DRY SLOT SCENARIO IN THE MON 06-12Z TIME FRAME FOR A LULL IN PRECIPITATION. HAVE TRENDED POPS TO REFLECT THIS. ON MONDAY...THE CLOSED MID-LEVEL LOW TRACKS ACROSS WI WITH COLD CORE/DEFORMATION SHRA ACTIVITY EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION. IT WILL ALSO BE COOLER AND BLUSTERY UNDER THE LOW WITH NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE 15 TO 25 MPH...GUSTING 30-35 MPH AS HIGHS STRUGGLE TO MAKE IT INTO THE 50S. APPEARS SHRA WILL LINGER INTO MONDAY NIGHT BEFORE RIDGE PUSHES IN AFTER MIDNIGHT. IN ADDITION...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH ALL THIS CONVECTION THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH ABNORMALLY HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES. WITH AREA STREAMS AND RIVER RUNNING HIGH THIS WILL ONLY AGGRAVATE THE FLOODING CONCERNS. ISSUED A HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK/ESF PRODUCT TO COVER THIS IMPACT. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 08.12Z GFS/ECMWF IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THEN DIVERGE A BIT THURSDAY/FRIDAY. LOOKS DRY TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT WITH FAIRLY HIGH AMPLITUDE MID-LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE AREA FROM THE PLAINS. A MID-LEVEL TROUGH/SURFACE COLD FRONT DROPS INTO THE REGION WEDNESDAY FOR A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY APPEAR QUESTIONABLE AT THIS POINT WITH A SPLIT FLOW REGIME DEVELOPING OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. IT APPEARS THIS COULD SET UP A NEARLY STATIONARY BAROCLINIC ZONE ACROSS THE AREA FOR CHANCES OF SHRA BOTH DAYS. OTHERWISE...LOOKS LIKE NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL PERSIST THROUGH NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION... A WARM FRONT ACROSS SOUTHERN IA WILL ADVANCE NORTHWARD TONIGHT...PUSHING LOW LEVEL SATURATION AND AN MVFR/IFR CEILING INTO THE AREA. BELIEVE THERE WILL BE AN IMPACT ON KRST/KLSE NEAR 06Z...WITH GREATER REDUCTIONS IN CIGS AND VSBY BY 09Z. EXPECT IMPROVEMENT LATER SAT MORNING AS THIS FRONT CONTINUES TO ADVANCE NORTHWARD...ALTHOUGH BKN VFR CEILINGS COULD PERSIST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. TSRA THREAT DEVELOPS LATE SAT NIGHT...WITH MORE TSRA POSSIBLE LATE SUN AFTERNOON/EVENING. THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT ANY STORM THIS WEEKEND COULD BECOME SEVERE. HAIL IS THE MAIN THREAT SAT NIGHT...WIND/HAIL/ISOLATED TORS LATE SUNDAY. MVFR/IFR CEILINGS ARE LIKELY TO RETURN MONDAY ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE EXITING STORM SYSTEM. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT/LONG TERM...DAS AVIATION..........RIECK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 130 PM CDT FRI APR 8 2011 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034- 041>044-053>055-061-091000- ADAMS-ALLAMAKEE-BUFFALO-CHICKASAW-CLARK-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-DODGE- FAYETTE-FILLMORE-FLOYD-GRANT-HOUSTON-HOWARD-JACKSON-JUNEAU-LA CROSSE- MITCHELL-MONROE-MOWER-OLMSTED-RICHLAND-TAYLOR-TREMPEALEAU-VERNON- WABASHA-WINNESHIEK-WINONA- 130 PM CDT FRI APR 8 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT MINOR FLOODING WILL REMAIN A CONCERN ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WHERE WATER LEVELS CONTINUE TO SLOWLY RISE TOWARD OR FURTHER ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY TWO ROUNDS OF SEVERE WEATHER ARE PROBABLE THIS WEEKEND. SATURDAY NIGHT...A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE REGION...TRIGGERING THUNDERSTORMS. LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE THREATS...BUT ISOLATED TORNADOES AND DAMAGING WINDS NEAR THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY CANNOT BE RULED OUT. ANY SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL COULD LEAD TO RAPID RISES IN SOME RIVER BASINS. MORE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES EAST ACROSS THE REGION. THUNDERSTORMS SPAWNED BY THIS SYSTEM WILL BE CAPABLE OF DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. IF YOU HAVE OUTDOOR PLANS THIS WEEKEND...PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE LATEST FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS. BE PREPARED TO CHANGE OR ALTER YOUR PLANS BASED ON THE SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL. FLOODING WILL REMAIN A CONCERN ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THROUGH APRIL. THOSE WITH INTERESTS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI NEED TO MONITOR THE LATEST RIVER STATEMENTS AND FLOOD FORECASTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED SATURDAY NIGHT AND LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... A WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED FOR 1 PM SATURDAY. RIECK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The combination of melting snow and rainfall in late March pushed the Mississippi River out of its banks at Lake City from the 8th through the 17th. The river crested just over a foot above the flood stage at 17.01 feet on the 14th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, 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: 294540.