Between 2 and 3 inches of rain fell across southeast Minnesota during the first week of May. This rain, combined with the rain that fell over the last half of April, was enough to elevate the soil moisture and end the severe drought that began in October 2011.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Between 2 and 3 inches of rain fell across southeast Minnesota during the first week of May. This rain, combined with the rain that fell over the last half of April, was enough to elevate the soil moisture and end the severe drought that began in October 2011.
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, 10:32 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1132 PM CDT MON APR 30 2012 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT 255 PM CDT MON APR 30 2012 FORECAST FOCUS IS ON THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES FOR THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER. FOR THE FIRST PART OF TUESDAY...A WARM FRONT WILL BE HOVERING WEST TO EAST...ROUGHLY FROM THE MID MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY INTO THE OH RIVER VALLEY. CONVECTION WILL FIRE AROUND THIS BOUNDARY. TO THE NORTHWEST...AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL SPIN INTO MN. THERE WILL LIKELY BE SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALREADY ONGOING EARLY TUE MORNING ACROSS WESTERN/CENTRAL PARTS OF MN. AS THE DAY WEARS ON...A 40 KT LOW LEVEL JET AND THE NOSE OF THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TRANSPORT WILL FOCUS INTO CENTRAL MN...ENHANCING/LEADING TO MORE SHOWER/STORM DEVELOPMENT. A COLD FRONT WILL BE APPROACHING WESTERN WI BY 00Z WED. MUCAPES UPWARDS OF 2000+ J/KG ARE EXPECTED TO POOL AHEAD OF IT. ABOUT 30 TO 40 KTS OF 0-6 KM SHEAR WITH 20 TO 25 KTS IN THE 0-3 KM LAYER. NOT MUCH IF ANY CAP INDICATED AHEAD OF THE FRONT BY THE MID-LATE AFTERNOON...AND WOULD EXPECT SOME CONVECTION TO DEVELOP ALONG ITS SOUTHERN FLANK...SOUTH OF THE MAIN CLUSTER OF STORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHORTWAVE. ENOUGH INSTABILITY AND WIND SHEAR TO SUPPORT A STRONG TO SEVERE RISK. ELEVATED CAPE VALUES OVER 1500 J/KG PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING FOR THE FORECAST AREA...SO SOME INSTABILITY FOR ANY STORM/LINE OF STORMS TO TAP INTO. PWS ARE PROGGED TO BE IN EXCESS OF 200%...ALTHOUGH WARM CLOUD DEPTH IS RELATIVELY LOW AT 3200 M. COULD STILL SEE SOME HEAVY DOWNPOURS WITH ANY ACTIVITY. FOR TIMING...THE SEVERE THREAT WOULD BE AFTER 00Z. FOR MOST OF TUESDAY...THE SHORTWAVE AND LOW LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION COULD PRODUCE SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS/STORMS...SO WILL CONTINUE THIS MENTION IN THE FORECAST. WINDS WILL LIKELY BE THE BIGGER WEATHER STORY LOCALLY DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS. A TIGHT SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT DEVELOPS WHILE BUFKIT SOUNDINGS INDICATED AT MUCH AS 35 KTS MIXING DOWN AT KRST. SOME OF THE WINDIER LOCATIONS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER COULD FLIRT WITH WIND ADV CRITERIA LATE TUE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. ON WED...THE WARM FRONT TO THE SOUTH WILL HAVE LIFTED NORTHWARD TO ACROSS PARTS OF THE REGION. SOME DIFFERENCES ON WHERE THIS BOUNDARY WILL LIE...AND THAT WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON WHERE THE BETTER RAIN CHANCES...AND SEVERE THREAT...WILL BE IN. THE 30.12Z GFS FAVORS RESTING THE FRONT FROM SOUTHWEST MN INTO NORTHERN WI BY 00Z...WHILE THE 30.12Z NAM HAS IT RESTING ACROSS NORTHERN IA INTO SOUTHERN WI. THE GEM/EC MIMIC THE NAM. THE GFS HAS BEEN CONSISTENT WITH ITS NORTHERN PLACEMENT...WHILE THE NAM HAS TRENDED MORE SOUTH. WITH MORE SOLUTIONS FAVORING THIS SOUTHERN PLACEMENT...WITH LEAN ON IT. THE LOW LEVEL JET AND MOISTURE TRANSPORT WILL FOCUS INTO THE BOUNDARY FOR WED AFTERNOON/EVENING WITH A GOOD AMOUNT OF FRONTOGENETIC LIFT AROUND IT. MUCAPES AS MUCH AS 2500 J/KG WITH 0-6 KM SHEAR VALUES NEAR 50 KTS IN THE VICINITY OF THE WARM FRONT. SOME UNCERTAINTY TO WHETHER ALL THIS INSTABILITY WILL BE REALIZED AS THE ATMOSPHERE COULD BE MUCKED OVER FROM OVERNIGHT CONVECTION AND BLOW OFF FROM STORMS ELSEWHERE. HOW QUICKLY...AND IF THE ATMOSPHERE CAN RELOAD LOCALLY IS IN QUESTION. IF IT CAN THOUGH...THERE WILL BE A STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK. IN ADDITION...WITH THE WARM FRONT AND LIKELY OTHER BOUNDARIES WAVERING ACROSS THE REGION...THERE WOULD BE AN ISOLATED TORNADO THREAT. IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT TRAINING STORMS APPEAR LIKELY...RUNNING ALONG THE WARM FRONT. WITH PWS STILL WELL ABOVE 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL AND WARM CLOUD DEPTHS INCREASING TO ABOVE 3500 M...LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN APPEARS LIKELY. SO...THERE WILL BE A THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS...WITH SEVERAL CAVEATS ATTACHED TO THE RISK. SHORT TERM CONDITIONS WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED CLOSELY. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY 255 PM CDT MON APR 30 2012 THE GFS AND ECMWF CONTINUE TO PAINT A CONTINUATION OF THE ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH VARIOUS BITS OF UPPER LEVEL ENERGY BRINGING PERIODIC SHOWER/STORM CHANCES. WHILE TIMING IS SUBJECTIVE AT THIS MOMENT...BOTH THE GFS/EC FAVOR SUNDAY AS A WET DAY. THE REGION WILL ALSO STAY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SOME BROAD RIDGING...WHICH WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY. WITH THE PATTERN SOMEWHAT MESSY...CONFIDENCE IN TIMING ON ANY PARTICULAR FEATURE IS NOT HIGH...SO WILL STAY WITH CONSENSUS SOLUTION FOR NOW. && .AVIATION...TUESDAY 1132 PM CDT MON APR 30 2012 FLOW IN RESPONSE TO POWERFUL SYSTEM COMING INTO NORTHWEST US HAS ALREADY INCREASED QUITE A BIT THIS EVENING. BRIEF PERIOD OF CLEAR WEATHER WILL BE JUST THAT AS LOW LEVEL JET OF 40 KTS ADVECTING MOISTURE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS...EVEN WITH CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES OCCURING. IN ADDITION...MID LAYER MOISTURE IS STREAMING ACROSS DAKOTAS AHEAD OF WAVE ENERGY THAT WILL ALSO ADVECT IN OVERNIGHT. EXPECT CEILINGS TO REFORM OVERNIGHT...INITIALLY IN VFR RANGE BUT COULD DROP TO MVFR LEVELS DURING DAY AS SATURATION CONTINUES. UNSURE IF ANY HIGH LEVEL SHOWERS MIGHT FORM...PERHAPS ACCAS...BUT WILL NOT INCLUDE AT THIS TIME DUE TO UNCERTAINITY. WINDS WILL ALSO INCREASE QUITE A BIT AFTER DAYBREAK OVER FAVORED REGIONS IN IOWA AND MINNESOTA. AS MOISTURE POOLS NORTH AHEAD OF SHORT WAVE...CONVECTION LIKELY TO BREAK OUT IN EARNEST OVER CENTRAL OR NORTHERN MINNESOTA GOING INTO TUESDAY EVENING. MODELS SEEM TO BE TRENDING A BIT SLOWER BUT INTRODUCED VCNTY OF STORMS AT KRST WITH MORE DETAIL TO BE INCLUDED LATER. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... 255 PM CDT MON APR 30 2012 WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT TERM...RIECK LONG TERM....RIECK AVIATION.....SHEA
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 900 AM CDT MON APR 30 2012 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- 900 AM CDT MON APR 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME OF THE STORMS TO BE SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE MAIN THREATS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE AGAIN EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREATS LOOK TO BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. HOWEVER... CONDITIONS MAY BECOME FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES. FROM THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. IT IS TOO EARLY TO DISCERN IF SEVERE WEATHER COULD OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Almost 2 inches of rain fell across Dodge County over the first part of May. This rain, combined with the rain the fell at the end of April, was enough to end the severe drought that began in October 2011.
Almost 2 inches of rain fell across Mower County over the first part of May. This rain, combined with the rain the fell at the end of April, was enough to end the severe drought that began in October 2011.
Over 2 inches of rain fell across Olmsted County over the first part of May. This rain, combined with the rain the fell at the end of April, was enough to end the severe drought that began in April 2012.
Over 2 inches of rain fell across Wabasha County over the first part of May. This rain, combined with the rain the fell at the end of April, was enough to end the severe drought that began in April 2012.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, May 2012
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: 370106, 370107, 370108, 370109.