Flood waters from a creek in Waucoma (Fayette County) covered the intersection of County Road V68 and Scenic Road. When a driver attempted to drive through the waters, the current in the flow swept the vehicle off the road.
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The episode as NWS ARX wrote it up.
Flood waters from a creek in Waucoma (Fayette County) covered the intersection of County Road V68 and Scenic Road. When a driver attempted to drive through the waters, the current in the flow swept the vehicle off the road. The driver was able to escape without injury before the vehicle sank.
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 May 9, 11:38 AM CST, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1238 PM CDT THU MAY 9 2013 .UPDATE...TODAY ISSUED AT 1030 AM CDT THU MAY 9 2013 QUICK UPDATE TO EXTEND HIGH PRECIPITATION CHANCES THROUGH THE REST OF TODAY...INTO THE EVENING HOURS...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE I-90 CORRIDOR. BANDS OF RAIN CONTINUE TO PIVOT NORTHWARD ACROSS THE REGION...AND HI-RES MODELS SUPPORT THESE BANDS PERSISTING RIGHT OVER THE AREA THE ENTIRE DAY. HAVE ALSO INCREASED RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH THE EVENING...WHERE AN ADDITIONAL 1/2 INCH IS POSSIBLE. HIGH TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN A STRUGGLE...AND WENT AHEAD AND LOWERED THEM A BIT MORE TO ACCOUNT FOR PRECIP COVERAGE AND CLOUDS. A LOT OF AREAS WON/T MOVE TOO MUCH TODAY TEMPERATURE WISE...MAINLY UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 345 AM CDT THU MAY 9 2013 AT 3 AM...A CLOSED LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED OVER NORTHWEST IOWA. THE MOISTURE SURGING NORTH AHEAD OF THIS LOW IS PRODUCING SHOWERS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR. MEANWHILE NORTH WINDS OVER NORTHERN WISCONSIN IS CURRENTLY IMPEDING THE NORTHWARD PROGRESS OF THESE SHOWERS ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THE 09.00Z MODELS ARE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THIS CLOSED LOW WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST ACROSS IOWA TODAY. THE MESO MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT THESE SHOWERS WILL REMAIN ISOLATED TO SCATTERED NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 94 CORRIDOR THROUGH MID MORNING...AND THEN THE COVERAGE WILL INCREASE AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES FAR ENOUGH EAST THAT THE DRY WILL NO LONGER IMPEDE THEIR NORTHWARD PROGRESS. AS ML CAPES CLIMB UP TO 250 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON...THERE MAY BE EVEN SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MIXED IN WITH THE SHOWERS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE GENERALLY LESS THAN A QUARTER OF AN INCH. FOR TONIGHT...THE MODELS ARE NOW SHOWING THAT THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL LINGER ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. AS A RESULT...RAISED THE PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND ALSO LINGERED THEM MUCH LONGER INTO THE NIGHT. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 345 AM CDT THU MAY 9 2013 ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING...THE MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT A STRONG CANADIAN COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA. THERE WILL BE ENOUGH POOLING OF MOISTURE AND FRONTOGENESIS TO DEVELOP A NARROW BAND OF SHOWERS ALONG THIS FRONT. WITH THE BEST MOISTURE TRANSPORT /MUCH CLOSER TO THE SHORT WAVE TROUGH/ BEING CENTERED NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 94 CORRIDOR... WENT WITH 40 TO 60 PERCENT PRECIPITATION PROBABILITIES IN THOSE AREAS. TEMPERATURES ALOFT WOULD SUPPORT ALL RAIN WITH THIS FRONT. IN THE WAKE OF THIS FRONT...TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY CLIMB INTO THE LOWER AND MID 50S FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...VERY STEEP 925 MB TO 700 MB LAPSE RATE /OVER 9 C/KM / WILL BRING THE STRONGER WINDS FROM ALOFT DOWN TO THE SURFACE. SUSTAINED WIND WILL BE IN THE 20 TO 25 MPH RANGE AND WIND GUSTS WILL BE AS HIGH AS 35 MPH. ON SATURDAY NIGHT...THE WINDS WILL SLOWLY SLACKEN ACROSS THE AREA... AND WILL LIKELY STAY UP INTO THE 5 TO 10 MPH RANGE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 94...AND AROUND 10 MPH NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE. THIS WILL KEEP THE NOCTURNAL BOUNDARY LAYER MIXED. IN ADDITION...THE DEW POINT DEPARTURES WILL BE IN THE 5 TO 10F RANGE...SO NOT SURE WHETHER FROST WILL DEVELOP. HOWEVER THE AIR MASS WILL BE COLD ENOUGH WITH TEMPERATURES AROUND 30...SO STILL CONCERNED THAT PLANTS COULD BE DAMAGED FROM THESE TEMPERATURES. ON SUNDAY NIGHT...THE COMBINATION OF LIGHT WINDS AND MAINLY CLEAR SKIES WILL PROVIDE A GOOD NIGHT FOR RADIATIVE COOLING. TEMPERATURES ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN WILL LIKELY FALL TO AROUND 30...SO CONCERNED ABOUT FROST IN THESE AREAS. ON TUESDAY...THE MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT A WARM AND RELATIVELY DRY AIR MASS WILL BE BROUGHT IN ISENTROPICALLY OFF OF THE HIGH PLAINS. 850 MB TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB INTO THE 20 TO 22C RANGE...AND 700 MB TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB TO AROUND 10C. DUE TO THIS...EXPECT TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB WELL INTO THE MID 80S FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. MIXING DOWN THE 850 MB TEMPERATURES WHICH ARE A COUPLE OF DEGREES WARMER THAN THE GFS WOULD SUGGEST THAT SOME AREAS COULD POSSIBLY EVEN APPROACH 90 DEGREES. FOR NOW...JUST WENT ABOUT 3 TO 4 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE ALL BLEND. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST...A COLD FRONT WILL PROVIDE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WITH THE BEST 0-6 KM SHEAR ON WEDNESDAY BEING FOUND POST FRONTAL...NOT EXPECTING ANY SEVERE WEATHER AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1238 PM CDT THU MAY 9 2013 BANDS OF RAIN WILL PIVOT OVER BOTH KRST/KLSE FOR MUCH OF TODAY AND TONIGHT AS A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SLIDES ACROSS CENTRAL INTO EASTERN IOWA. BOTH SITES WILL BE ON THE COOLER...MORE STABLE SIDE OF THE WEATHER SYSTEM WHICH WILL LIMIT OR PRECLUDE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. HOWEVER...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN LATER THIS AFTERNOON. CEILINGS/VISIBILITIES WILL REMAIN IFR TO LIFR THROUGHOUT THE EVENING INTO THE PARTS OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS THE ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO MOISTEN AND SATURATE. PRECIPITATION WILL EVENTUALLY SUBSIDE AND MOVE EAST OF THE SITES BETWEEN 06-09Z...AND THEN DRYING IN THE LOW-LEVELS IS EXPECTED TO HELP LIFT CEILINGS BY FRIDAY MORNING. HAVE REMAINED PESSIMISTIC WITH THE FORECAST TIMING COMPARED TO MOST OF THE GUIDANCE...AS MODELS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH THE PROGRESSION OF THIS SYSTEM. BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL RESULT IN VFR CONDITIONS BY LATE FRIDAY MORNING...WHICH SHOULD LAST FOR THE REST OF FRIDAY. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && UPDATE...ZT SHORT TERM...BOYNE LONG TERM...BOYNE AVIATION...ZT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 414 AM CDT THU MAY 9 2013 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034- 041>044-053>055-061-101200- 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- 414 AM CDT THU MAY 9 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA... NORTHEAST IOWA...AND SOUTHWEST TO NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON WITH LIGHTNING THE MAIN HAZARD. SOME MINOR FLOODING IS EXPECTED TODAY ALONG PORTIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY FROST IS POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING AS WELL AS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MORNING MORNING. SOME THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. IT IS TOO EARLY TO DISCERN WHETHER THEY MAY BECOME SEVERE. SOME MINOR FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ALONG PORTIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. HALBACH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Runoff from snow melt and heavy rain that moved down the Mississippi River, pushed the river out of it banks at McGregor. The river crested less than a half foot above the flood stage at 16.29 feet.
The driver of a vehicle was able to escape before it sank after attempting to drive through flood waters from a local creek in Waucoma.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, May 2013
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: 451759, 451011.