One person was killed and two others were injured in a four vehicle crash on February 11th. S.
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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.
One person was killed and two others were injured in a four vehicle crash on February 11th. The accident occurred on an icy U.S. Highway 63 south of Spring Valley (Fillmore County).
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 Feb 11, 8:11 PM CST, 1 hour 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 811 PM CST FRI FEB 11 2011 .UPDATE... OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS...THE CLOUD AND PRECIPITATION FORECASTS HAVE BEEN QUITE INTERESTING. FIRST OFF...THE SNOW THAT WAS AROUND THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON HAS RAPIDLY PUSHED OFF TO THE EAST...WITH HALF OF IT ALREADY MOVED INTO LAKE MICHIGAN. CLOUDS ARE FOLLOWING SUIT AS WELL...WITH THE WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA NOW SCATTERED OR CLEARED OUT PER LATEST 11-3.9UM SATELLITE IMAGERY. UP TO THE NORTHWEST...LATE THIS AFTERNOON A LARGE STRATUS DECK WAS PRESENT OVER NORTHERN MINNESOTA INTO NORTHWEST ONTARIO...UNDER AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH. IN ADDITION...KDLH RADAR AND SURFACE OBS SHOWED SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WITH THE CLOUDS. INITIALLY IT WAS THOUGHT THAT THE TROUGH WAS SUPPORTING THE CLOUDS AND SNOW SHOWERS...SO THE PLAN WAS FOR IT TO COME ACROSS AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF I-94 BETWEEN 03-06Z. THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE TIMING 0.5-1 KM RH FROM THE 11.18Z NAM. HOWEVER...AFTER 6 PM...THESE CLOUDS AND SNOW SHOWERS HAVE RAPIDLY FALLEN APART. THEREFORE...THEY WERE LIKELY DIURNALLY INDUCED...WHICH WOULD MAKE SENSE SEEING SOMEWHAT STEEPER LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES ON THE 00Z INL SOUNDING. WITH THE CLOUDS CLEARING OUT AND THE ONLY OTHER CLOUDS BEING SOME CIRRUS ACROSS THE DAKOTAS...HAVE ADJUSTED THE FORECAST TO A CLEARER TREND FOR TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. PLENTY OF WESTERLY WIND AND BEING IN THE WAKE OF A WARM FRONT NOW IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN SHOULD KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM DROPPING TOO MUCH...DESPITE THE CLEARING. THEREFORE...NO CHANGES MADE TO TEMPERATURES. ON A SIDE NOTE...COMPARED THE 00Z 925MB RAOB DATA WITH DEWPOINT DEPRESSIONS FROM THE PAST FEW RUNS OF THE GFS AND NAM. BOTH OF THE MODELS WERE 3-5C TOO MOIST ON DEWPOINT DEPRESSIONS...AND BOTH SUGGESTED THAT A LOW STRATUS DECK SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN PLACE BEHIND THE SNOW THAT MOVED THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SO LOW LEVEL MOISTURE LOOKS TO BE SOMETHING TO BE WARY OF FROM THE MODELS AS WE HEAD INTO A WARMER PATTERN...ESPECIALLY WITH WESTERLY FLOW. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT FIRST CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM WILL BE SNOW CHANCES/ACCUMULATIONS SATURDAY...THEN MILDER CONDITIONS FOR SUNDAY/MONDAY. SURFACE ANALYSIS THIS AFTERNOON HAS A NORTH/SOUTH ORIENTED WARM FRONT PUSHING EAST ACROSS CENTRAL MN AND CENTRAL IA. RADAR MOSAIC AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOWING SOME VERY LIGHT/NON-MEASURING LIGHT SNOW ACROSS SOUTHEAST MN INTO WESTERN WI IN THE WARM AIR ADVECTION/ISENTROPIC LIGHT. THERE WERE A COUPLE SITES REPORTING REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY BELOW 2SM IN MORE VIGOROUS SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY...HOWEVER AREA WEBCAMS IN THOSE LOCATIONS ONLY SHOWING JUST WET PAVEMENT. OTHERWISE...AS OF 2 PM...TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM 10 DEGREES AT MEDFORD WISCONSIN...TO 30 IN CHARLES CITY IA JUST AHEAD OF THE WARM FRONT. 11.12Z GFS/NAM AS WELL AS THE 11.15Z SREF ALL IN DECENT AGREEMENT THROUGH THE SHORT TERM. FOR TONIGHT...WILL CONTINUE TO SEE THE WARM FRONT MAKE EASTWARD PROGRESS ACROSS THE AREA. SOME PRE-WARM FRONTAL -SN CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS EVENING BEFORE THE FRONT EXITS EAST OF THE REGION AROUND MIDNIGHT. ONLY A DUSTING AT BEST EXPECTED WITH THE SNOWFALL. OTHERWISE...LOOK FOR TEMPERATURES TO SURGE IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE WARM FRONT ON BREEZY WEST WINDS INTO THE MID/UPPER 20S...THEN TRAIL OFF INTO THE UPPER TEENS/LOWER 20S BY MORNING AS SKIES BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND WINDS SLACKEN. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST TOWARD THE AREA FROM SASKATCHEWAN ON SATURDAY. MODELS SHOWING A CONSISTENT/FAIRLY STRONG WARM AIR ADVECTION AND 850-700MB FRONTOGENETIC SIGNAL MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE I-94 CORRIDOR. THIS SYSTEM BEING AIDED A BIT DUE TO MORE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WITH LEFT-EXIT REGION OF THE CURVED UPPER-LEVEL JET MOVING OVER THE AREA. FORCING WITH THIS SYSTEM EXPECTED TO DROP 1-2 INCHES OF SNOW MAINLY NORTHEAST OF THE I-94 CORRIDOR WITH LESSER AMOUNTS SOUTHWEST. AS THIS SYSTEM DEPARTS EAST OF THE AREA ...THERE MAY MAY SOME RESIDUAL LOW-LEVEL STRATUS AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW/FREEZING DRIZZLE NORTHEAST OF I-94. OTHERWISE...LOOKING FOR SKIES TO CLEAR FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ORIGINATING FROM EAST OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES WILL RIDE THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT INTO THE GREAT LAKES SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT. MOST OF THE CLOUD COVER ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER NORTHERN/NORTHEAST WI. OUR AREA WILL SEE PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES IN THE WARM SECTOR OF THE LOW WITH 0.5-1KM TEMPERATURES SURGING INTO THE PLUS 5-9C RANGE. BASED ON THIS...HIGHS ON SUNDAY SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEMS PUSHING INTO THE UPPER 30S TO A FEW LOWER 40S. AS THE LOW PUSHES EAST OF LAKE SUPERIOR SUNDAY NIGHT...A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE AREA COOLING US BACK INTO THE MID/UPPER 20S. RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE THEN BUILDS EAST INTO THE AREA FROM THE PLAINS ON MONDAY FOR MOSTLY SUNNY AND MILD CONDITIONS. THE 0.5-1.0KM TEMPERATURES WILL BE A BIT COOLER IN THE ZERO TO MINUS 4C RANGE...SO HIGHS SHOULD TOP OFF MID/UPPER 30S. WITH MILDER TEMPERATURES ON THE HORIZON...INTEREST TURNS TO SNOWMELT AND RUNOFF POTENTIAL INTO AREA RIVERS AND STREAM. HAVE THEREFORE INCLUDED A HYDROLOGY DISCUSSION BELOW TO COVER THIS ISSUE. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY 11.12Z ECMWF/GFS SHOWING GOOD RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE CENTRAL CONUS INTO NEXT WEEK. BOTH MODELS HINT AT AT A WEAK MID-LEVEL TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THE RIDGE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. LOOKS LIKE WE MAY HAVE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN FROM THIS FEATURE TUESDAY NIGHT MAINLY ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST. BOTH MODELS THEN SHOWING BROAD AREA OF LIFT ON THURSDAY AHEAD OF A DEEP TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN CONUS. LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH WEAK EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE TROUGHS GETTING EJECTED FROM THE MAIN TROUGH MAY BE ENOUGH TO GENERATE SOME LIGHT RAIN ON THURSDAY AND LIGHT RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN THURSDAY NIGHT. MODELS THEN DIVERGE A BIT IN THEIR RESPECTIVE SOLUTIONS ON FRIDAY. THE GFS IS A BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE IN SHOVING LOW PRESSURE THROUGH THE CENTRAL CONUS WHILE THE ECMWF HAS A MORE AMPLIFIED RIDGE OVER US...THEREBY TAKING THE LOW FURTHER NORTH THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS. TOOK A MIDDLE OF THE ROAD APPROACH FOR NOW AND INCLUDED A CHANCE OF RAIN SOUTH OF I-90 AND A RAIN/SNOW MIX NORTH. OTHERWISE...LOOKS LIKE A PROLONGED PERIOD OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION...TONIGHT AND SATURDAY CLOUDS AND SNOW HAVE RAPIDLY MOVED EAST OF THE TAF SITES THIS EVENING...WITH EITHER SCATTERED OR CLEAR SKIES EXTENDING BACK INTO WESTERN MINNESOTA. GO FARTHER WEST AND ONLY SOME CIRRUS OR ALTOSTRATUS IS PRESENT OVER THE DAKOTAS. THEREFORE...CONDITIONS LOOK TO REMAIN VFR AT LEAST FOR TONIGHT. WESTERLY WINDS OF 10-15 KTS IN THE WAKE OF THE WARM FRONT THAT RECENTLY MOVED THROUGH SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING...THEN DIMINISH AND BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST AS A WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS. ON SATURDAY...YET ANOTHER WARM FRONT WILL BE MOVING ACROSS THE TAF SITES...WHICH IS HELPING TO PRODUCE THE CURRENT CIRRUS AND MID CLOUDS IN THE DAKOTAS. SOME SNOW IS LIKELY WITH THE FRONT... PRIMARILY FROM KLSE NORTH AND EASTWARD DURING THE AFTERNOON. VERY LITTLE IF ANY ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED...WITH VISIBILITIES ONLY DROPPING TO MVFR. BIG PROBLEM NOW IS CEILINGS ON SATURDAY GIVEN THAT THE AIR FROM THE DAKOTAS INTO THE TAF SITES IS DRIER THAN WHAT MODELS PROGGED IT TO BE RIGHT NOW. WITH THE 00Z TAFS...BACKED AWAY FROM MVFR CEILINGS...WITH ONLY A MENTION OF A SCATTERED MVFR DECK. MAY PULL THESE COMPLETELY OUT IF TRENDS CONTINUE FOR THE 06Z TAFS. ANOTHER ITEM OF CONCERN IS WINDS BEHIND THE SECOND WARM FRONT... WHICH COULD GUST FROM THE SOUTHWEST UP TO 25 KT AT KRST IN THE AFTERNOON. NO GUSTS MENTIONED AT KLSE AT THIS TIME...HOWEVER. && .HYDROLOGY...THIS WEEKEND THROUGH NEXT WEEK TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO WARM NICELY BACK INTO THE 30S AND LOWER 40S FOR THIS WEEKEND AND THROUGH NEXT WEEK. THESE WARM TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO HELP TO SETTLE AND MELT THE SNOW PACK SOMEWHAT. THE BIG QUESTION IS HOW THIS WILL AFFECT THE VARIOUS CREEKS AND RIVERS ACROSS THE REGION. THE CURRENT FEELING IS THAT MUCH OF THE WARMING IN THE FIRST 3-5 DAYS /THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK OR SO/ WILL RESULT IN SETTLING AND MELTING. THIS WILL SERVE TO SETTLE THE OVERALL SNOW PACK AND CONSOLIDATE IT INTO A MORE SHALLOW LAYER. BUT NIGHT TIME TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL BACK BELOW FREEZING...WHICH WILL LIMIT THE FULL MELTING POTENTIAL...AND LIMIT HOW MUCH WATER ACTUALLY TRAVELS INTO DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AND OUR CREEK AND RIVER SYSTEMS. THEREFORE...IT IS EXPECTED THAT VERY LITTLE CHANGE IN CREEK AND RIVER LEVELS WILL BE SEEN UNTIL PERHAPS THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THEN...AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF THIS SLOW MELTING...WE MAY START TO SEE SOME MINOR RISES OF A FOOT OR LESS BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK. A SLOW MELT SCENARIO LIKE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IS NEEDED TO KEEP OUR FLOOD RISK AS LOW AS POSSIBLE THIS SPRING. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && UPDATE...AJ SHORT/LONG TERM...DAS AVIATION...AJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 256 PM CST FRI FEB 11 2011 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ032-033-041- 053>055-061-121200- ALLAMAKEE-BUFFALO-CHICKASAW-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-DODGE-FAYETTE-FILLMORE- FLOYD-GRANT-HOUSTON-HOWARD-LA CROSSE-MITCHELL-MOWER-OLMSTED-RICHLAND- TREMPEALEAU-VERNON-WABASHA-WINNESHIEK-WINONA- 256 PM CST FRI FEB 11 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA...AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NO ACTION IS NEEDED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. WIZ017-029-034-042>044-121200- ADAMS-CLARK-JACKSON-JUNEAU-MONROE-TAYLOR- 256 PM CST FRI FEB 11 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ONE TO TWO INCHES OF SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY NORTHEAST OF THE INTERSTATE 94 AND 90 CORRIDOR DURING THE DAY SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOWFALL REPORTS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED SATURDAY. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. DTJ
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
An icy roadway caused a four vehicle accident on Highway 63 two miles south of Spring Valley. Two people were injured and a female passenger died in the crash.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, Fillmore | 2011-02-11 | 18 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
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, February 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: 276496.