As temperatures warmed late in the month of April, abundant run off from melting snow combined with ice jams to produced some flooding on southeast Minnesota rivers. The South Fork of the Zumbro River shot up almost 7 feet in one day from an ice jam and inundated Oxbow Park north of Byron (Olmsted County).
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.
As temperatures warmed late in the month of April, abundant run off from melting snow combined with ice jams to produced some flooding on southeast Minnesota rivers. The South Fork of the Zumbro River shot up almost 7 feet in one day from an ice jam and inundated Oxbow Park north of Byron (Olmsted County). Other rivers that experienced flooding were the Whitewater River in the Whitewater State Park (Winona County) and the Zumbro River near Zumbro Falls (Wabasha 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 Mar 30, 11:35 AM CST, 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1235 PM CDT SAT MAR 30 2013 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT 327 AM CDT SAT MAR 30 2013 THE MAIN FOCUS IN THE SHORT TERM IS WITH THE PRECIPITATION CHANCES TODAY FOLLOWED BY HOW FAR TEMPERATURES WILL DROP GOING INTO THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. CURRENTLY...A SURFACE LOW IS LOCATED NEAR FERGUS FALLS MINNESOTA WITH A WARM FRONT EXTENDING EAST FROM IT INTO NORTHWEST WISCONSIN. A CLUSTER OF LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS HAS FORMED ALONG AND NORTH OF THIS FRONT WITH A SMALL CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAS DEVELOPED NEAR THE LOW WHERE THE 925-850MB MOISTURE TRANSPORT NOSES UP TOWARD. TRAILING TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THIS LOW IS A COLD FRONT WHERE ANOTHER CLUSTER OF SHOWERS HAVE FORMED. EVEN FURTHER SOUTH FROM THIS FEATURE IS ANOTHER SURFACE LOW IN WESTERN IOWA WHERE ANOTHER BAND OF SHOWERS IS ORIENTED TO THE EAST OF THE LOW AHEAD OF ITS WARM FRONT. THESE FEATURES WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK TO THE EAST TODAY AND BRING SOME PERIODS OF LIGHT RAIN TO THE REGION. MOST OF THE AREA WILL LIKELY JUST SEE A FEW HOUR PERIOD OF THIS LIGHT RAIN THOUGH PORTIONS OF NORTHERN/CENTRAL WISCONSIN COULD SEE A LONGER LASTING AREA OF RAIN WITH THE WARM FRONT LAYING OUT IN THIS AREA. HAVE SLIGHTLY BACKED OFF ON POPS BASED ON THE COVERAGE MAYBE NOT BEING AT 100 PERCENT AT TIMES...BUT THINK THAT MOST OF THE AREA WILL AT LEAST SEE SOME RAIN AT SOME POINT TODAY. CONSIDERED PUTTING SOME ISOLATED THUNDER BACK INTO THE FORECAST...BUT HELD OFF DUE TO THE 925-850MB MOISTURE TRANSPORT LOSING ITS FOCUS THROUGH THE DAY WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF INSTABILITY FORECAST. THE MAIN CAUSE OF THIS PRECIPITATION IS THE LOW TO MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS THAT OCCURS AHEAD OF THE MAIN MID LEVEL TROUGH WHICH APPEARS TO BE FAIRLY STRONG JUST AHEAD OF THE SURFACE FRONT. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL COME TO A QUICK END TONIGHT ONCE THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH WITH SKIES POSSIBLY CLEARING OUT FOR A BRIEF PERIOD BEFORE THE SECONDARY SURGE OF COLD AIR DROPS DOWN AND POTENTIALLY BRINGS SOME LOW LEVEL CLOUD COVER ALONG WITH IT. LITTLE IF ANY FORCING ACCOMPANIES THIS SECONDARY COLD FRONT...SO HAVE KEPT THE FORECAST MAINLY DRY OUTSIDE OF NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THIS FRONT WILL MARK THE BEGINNING OF A CANADIAN AIR MASS GETTING PULLED DOWN ACROSS THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY. 850MB TEMPERATURES DROP TO AROUND -16C BY MONDAY MORNING WHICH IS ABOUT -2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS FROM THE NORM WHICH TYPICALLY INDICATES NEAR RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES. WHILE SKIES WILL BE CLEARING OUT BY MONDAY MORNING...IT APPEARS THAT WINDS WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH AT 15-20MPH TO KEEP THE BOUNDARY LAYER AIR WELL MIXED AND PREVENT IT FROM ACTUALLY DROPPING DOWN TOWARD THE RECORDS WHICH ARE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS. RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE SAFE AS WELL AS THEY ARE MAINLY IN THE LOW 20S WHERE FORECAST TEMPERATURES ARE CLOSER TO THE FREEZING MARK. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 327 AM CDT SAT MAR 30 2013 THIS COLD AIR MASS WILL LINGER INTO TUESDAY BEFORE A RIDGE AXIS MOVES THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT AND THE LOW LEVEL WIND FLOW SHIFTS AROUND TO THE SOUTH/SOUTHWEST. 850MB TEMPERATURES CLIMB BACK UP TO AROUND 0C BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. A SURFACE COLD FRONT IS THEN PROGGED TO COME THROUGH SOMETIME ON THURSDAY WITH THE 30.00Z GFS BEING MUCH FASTER THAN THE 30.00Z ECMWF/GEM. THE GFS WOULD BRING IT THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING WHILE THE ECMWF/GEM BRING IT THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE MUCH LIFT/MOISTURE AVAILABLE FOR THIS FEATURE TO WORK WITH...SO IT SHOULD MAINLY COME THROUGH DRY. WHILE SOME SLIGHTLY COLDER AIR FOLLOWS THIS SYSTEM...THE LOW LEVEL WIND FLOW QUICKLY COMES BACK AROUND TO THE SOUTH AHEAD OF ANOTHER SYSTEM THAT WILL WE BE OUT IN THE PLAINS ON FRIDAY. && .AVIATION...THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY 1235 PM CDT SAT MAR 30 2013 COLD FRONT STILL ADVANCING ACROSS NORTHWEST WI AND SOUTHERN MN. BAND OF SHOWERS CONTINUES ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WITH REDUCED VISIBILITY AND FOG/MIST. LOW STRATUS AND LIFR FOG SEEN ACROSS CENTRAL MN AS THE MILD/MOIST AIR LINGERS OVER THE SNOWPACK. TIMING OF THE ARRIVAL OF THIS IS RIGHT AT DARK...SO CONCERNED THAT WE WILL GO INTO FOG AND STAY THERE. HAVE TRENDED THE TAF FORECASTS DOWN WITH THE EXPECTED STRATUS/FOG...BUT MAY NOT BE LOW ENOUGH. THIS IS OPPOSITE OF THE TREND THAT WAS EXPECTED PREVIOUSLY. WILL MONITOR THE LATEST CONDITIONS FOR POSSIBLE FURTHER REVISION. DO ANTICIPATE IMPROVEMENT BACK TO VFR SUNDAY MORNING...AS COOLER AND DRIER AIR INVADES. && .HYDROLOGY...THROUGH SUNDAY 1235 PM CDT SAT MAR 30 2013 MILD TEMPERATURES LINGERED THROUGH THE NIGHT...SO THE SNOWMELT SLOWED BUT DID NOT STOP. MONITORING DATA FROM ALL OF OUR RIVER LOCATIONS AND WE ARE SEEING SIGNIFICANT RISES FOR ALL OF THE TRIBUTARY STREAMS. RISES HAVE BEEN BETWEEN 3 AND 6 FEET. NO FLOODING FOR ANY CREEKS/RIVERS THAT WE HAVE GAUGING ON...BUT HAVE RECEIVED SOME REPORTS OVERNIGHT AND EARLY THIS MORNING OF STANDING WATER AND FULL DITCHES ALLOWING WATER TO FLOW OVER ROADWAYS. SOME ROAD CLOSURES WERE REPORTED FROM THIS. REPORTS FROM LOCAL SHERIFF DEPARTMENTS WERE THAT DEBRIS THAT GATHERED AT CULVERTS WOULD BRIEFLY BACK UP AND CAUSE THE LOCALIZED FLOODING. RAINFALL SO FAR HAS BEEN LIGHT FOR THE MOST PART...HOWEVER WE HAVE RECEIVED SOME REPORTS OF A HALF TO TWO-THIRDS OF AN INCH OF RAIN FROM THE EAU CLAIRE AREA EAST INTO CLARK COUNTY. THIS IS WHERE THE RAIN HAS BEEN TRAINING FOR MANY HOURS NOW...AND IS ALSO COINCIDENT WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOWPACK. HAVE MADE SOME CALLS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THOSE AREAS...BUT NO REPORTS OF FLOOD PROBLEMS YET. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THIS CLOSELY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SEVERAL FORECASTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR WITHIN-BANK RISES FOR SOME OF OUR RIVER POINTS...SEE THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC STATEMENTS FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... 327 AM CDT SAT MAR 30 2013 WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT TERM...HALBACH LONG TERM...HALBACH AVIATION...MW HYDROLOGY....HALBACH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 432 AM CDT SAT MAR 30 2013 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034- 041>044-053>055-061-311200- 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- 432 AM CDT SAT MAR 30 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST TO NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SOME LOW SPOTS ON SIDE ROADS MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BRIEF PERIODS OF FLOODING DUE TO RUN OFF FROM THE RECENT SNOW MELT TODAY. MOST RIVERS AND CREEKS HAVE ALSO BEEN ON THE RISE DUE TO THE SNOW MELT...THOUGH THEY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO GO TO FLOOD STAGE. WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING ABOVE FREEZING FOR MUCH OF TODAY AND SOME LIGHT TO AT TIMES MODERATE RAIN FALLING...EXPECT THAT THIS VERY LOCALIZED FLOODING POTENTIAL WILL CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ANY REPORTS OF CLOSED ROADS DUE TO FLOODING IS APPRECIATED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. HALBACH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
An ice jam on the South Fork of the Zumbro River inundated Oxbow County Park north of Byron. Playground equipment, picnic areas and ball fields were covered with water.
Runoff from snow melt pushed the Whitewater River out of its banks in the Whitewater State Park. The river crested less than a half foot above the flood stage at 13.81 feet.
Runoff from snow melt pushed the Zumbro River out of its banks near Zumbro Falls. The river crested almost a foot and a half above the flood stage at 19.3 feet.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, March 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: 439054, 439052, 439053.