Heavy rain and snow in April brought renewed flooding to the Mississippi River at Wabasha, Minnesota. The river went above flood stage in late April with the flooding ending on May 1st.
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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.
Heavy rain and snow in April brought renewed flooding to the Mississippi River at Wabasha, Minnesota. The river went above flood stage in late April with the flooding ending on May 1st.
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 30, 1:35 PM CST, 10 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 235 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2011 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MAIN CONCERN WILL BE LINGERING RAIN CHANCES THIS EVENING...THEN WINDY/COOLER CONDITIONS FOR SUNDAY BEHIND DEPARTING STORM SYSTEM. WATER VAPOR/SURFACE ANALYSIS HAS DEEP/STACKED LOW OVER NORTHEASTERN ND WITH OCCLUDED FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHEAST THROUGH EASTERN MN/IA. RADAR SHOWS THE AREA MAINLY IN A VOID FOR NOW BETWEEN DEPARTING WARM AIR ADVECTION SHRA AND PV/COLD CORE SHRA APPROACHING THE AREA FROM THE WEST. OTHERWISE...TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA RANGING FROM THE MIDDLE 50S TO MID 60S. 30.12Z NCEP DETERMINISTIC NAM/GFS ALONG WITH THE 30.09Z SREF IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE UPPER LEVEL/SURFACE FEATURE THROUGH THE PERIOD. FOR TONIGHT...WILL SEE A STRONG MID-LEVEL PV-ANOMALY ROTATE EASTWARD THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING. LINE OF SHRA/EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORM OR TWO WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE AS IT ROTATES THROUGH...SHOULD BE CLEAR OF THE AREA BY MIDNIGHT. CLEARING SKIES WILL BE NOTED BEHIND THIS FEATURE AS STRONG SUBSIDENCE FILTERS IN. PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL BE ON THE INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE DEEP SURFACE LOW LIFTS NORTHEAST INTO WESTERN ONTARIO. EXPECT WINDS TO PICK UP INTO THE 15-25 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS AROUND 30-35 MPH ACROSS THE HIGHER/OPEN AND WIND-PRONE AREAS OF SOUTHEAST MN/NORTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT. MEANWHILE...ALSO EXPECTING TO SEE STRATOCUMULUS TO SPREAD SOUTHEAST ACROSS THAT AREA TOWARD MORNING AS COLD POOL ALOFT SPREADS IN BEHIND THE DEPARTING LOW. FOR SUNDAY...VERY CHILLY 850MB TEMPERATURES ALOFT //AROUND -10C// AND STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL PRODUCE COOL AND BLUSTERY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA. WILL ALSO SEE A GOOD AMOUNT OF CUMULUS/STRATOCUMULUS AS WELL IN STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATE ENVIRONMENT. OTHERWISE...EXPECT WIDESPREAD WEST WINDS IN THE 15 TO 30 MPH RANGE...WITH GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH BY MID MORNING AS MIXING INCREASES THROUGH THE LOWEST 5KFT. HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO TOP OFF ONLY IN THE MID 40S ACROSS THE NORTH...TO PERHAPS A FEW MID 50S ACROSS THE SOUTH...WHICH IS SOME 15 DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS. CLEARING SKIES WITH DIMINISHING WINDS ON TAP FOR SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE LOW FILLS AND MOVES TOWARD HUDSON BAY. OVERNIGHT LOWS EXPECTED TO DROP INTO THE LOWER/MID 30S. HIGH PRESSURE BUILD INTO THE AREA ON MONDAY FOR MOSTLY SUNNY BUT STILL RELATIVELY COOL CONDITIONS. AFTERNOON HIGHS SHOULD TOP OFF ONCE AGAIN IN THE MID 40S ACROSS THE NORTH...TO THE MIDDLE 50S ACROSS THE SOUTH. HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS IN CONTROL ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH TUESDAY WITH HIGHS ON TUESDAY WARMING INTO THE MID 50S TO A FEW LOWER 60S. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY 30.12Z GFS/ECMWF IN REASONABLY DECENT AGREEMENT THROUGH THE LONG TERM. MODELS BRING ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT MID-LEVEL TROUGH/CLOSED LOW THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS/UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER/ AND GREAT LAKES REGIONS TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS WILL GIVE THE AREA AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF SHOWER CHANCES. NOT NOTICING MUCH IN THE WAY OF CAPE TO SUPPORT THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. APPEARS BETTER CHANCES FOR THUNDER WOULD BE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AS THE COLDEST AIR ALOFT DRIFTS ACROSS THE REGION FOR STEEPEST LAPSE RATES. MODELS THEN DIVERGE A BIT MORE FOR FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THE ECMWF SHOWS A PRETTY VIGOROUS SURFACE LOW MOVING OUT OF THE PLAINS WITH A WARM FRONT PUSHING INTO THE AREA WHEREAS THE GFS SHOW GENERAL RIDGING INTO THE AREA. WILL MEET IN THE MIDDLE WITH CONTINUED SMALLER SHOWER CHANCES. OTHERWISE...TEMPERATURE TREND STAYS ON SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TRACK TROUGH THE PERIOD WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE LOWER/MID 60S. && .AVIATION...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY A STRONG TROUGH WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IN THE WAKE OF THIS TROUGH...THERE WILL BE A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT. THIS WILL RESULT IN SUSTAINED WEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 KNOTS AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 35 KNOTS TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. ALONG THE ASSOCIATED TROUGH/COLD FRONT THERE WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF MVFR CEILINGS. THIS AREA IS CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH KRST...AND IT WILL BE GOING THROUGH KLSE AROUND 30.22Z. MEANWHILE...THE STRONG SUBSIDENCE WILL ALLOW SKIES TO CLEAR OUT LATE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA...AND ACROSS WESTERN WISCONSIN THIS EVENING. WRAP AROUND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AFTER 01.08Z. THIS MOISTURE WILL LOWER CEILINGS INTO THE 2 TO 3KFT RANGE. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT/LONG TERM...DAS AVIATION...BOYNE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 510 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2011 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034- 041>044-053>055-061-011000- 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- 510 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA... NORTHEAST IOWA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP TONIGHT ACROSS THE OPEN AND WIND-PRONE AREAS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA. EXPECT WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 35 MPH. WATER LEVELS WILL REMAIN STEADY OR SLOWLY RISE AND MINOR FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG PORTIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY STRONG WEST WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 40 MPH WILL OCCUR SUNDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE IF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY OF THESE STORMS. MINOR FLOODING OR NEAR BANK-FULL WATER LEVELS WILL REMAIN A CONCERN ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER INTO EARLY MAY. THOSE WITH INTERESTS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST RIVER STATEMENTS AND FLOOD FORECASTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. RIECK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding that began in late April came to an end during the evening of May 1st. The river crested just over the flood stage at 12.04 feet during the morning of the 1st.
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, May 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: 310745.