The second week of April saw rainfall totals between 2 inches and 5 inches across southern Wisconsin. These totals represented 300 percent to 600 percent of the amount normally seen from April 7th through the 14th.
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 MKX wrote it up.
The second week of April saw rainfall totals between 2 inches and 5 inches across southern Wisconsin. These totals represented 300 percent to 600 percent of the amount normally seen from April 7th through the 14th. This pushed several of the rivers into minor to moderate flooding, with major flooding at several locations on the Rock River, and on the Fox River at New Munster, inundating nearby land areas and roads. Rivers crested between 1 foot and 4.5 feet above flood stage. Runoff was enhanced by a lingering deep frost layer. While the top 4 or 5 inches of soil had thawed, there was still a foot or more of frost below the top-most unfrozen layer, preventing much of the rain from percolating into the ground. Some of the fast-responding rivers and streams fell back within their banks in a day or two, while others remained above flood stage through the end of the month and into May as rain totals for the entire month ranged between 5 and 8 inches, or between 150 percent and 200 percent of normal.
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 Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 8, 3:06 AM CST, 4 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 406 AM CDT MON APR 8 2013 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS HIGH. MODELS IN MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT WITH RELATIVELY BRIEF BUT INTENSE PERIOD OF RAIN WITH POTENT SHORT WAVE QUICKLY CROSSING THE REGION IN ZONAL FLOW THIS MORNING. STILL SEEING TWO QPF MAXES...ONE TO THE NORTH AND ANOTHER TO THE SOUTH...WHICH MODELS HAVE SHIFTED MORE INTO THE SRN CWA THAN 24 HOURS AGO. WILL TIME MAIN AREA OF PCPN ACROSS CWA WITH LAYER Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE MAXIMA....WITH LIFT AIDED BY STRENGTHENING UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE OVER SRN WI/NRN IL AROUND 12Z. IN ADDITION...RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF JET STREAK OVER NRN LK MI COUPLES WITH LEFT EXIT REGION OF JET STREAK DRIVING THE SHORT WAVE...AS IT TRACKS EAST FROM NRN MO/SRN IA TO NE IL/NW IN BY 18Z. LAPSE RATES OF 7 TO 8C/KM BETWEEN 850 MB AND 650 MB WILL LEAD TO SOME ELEVATED CAPE AND POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED THUNDER. 700 MB OMEGA CLEARS THE REGION BY 18Z WITH SUBSIDENCE AND MID LEVEL DRYING. WILL CONTINUE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS INTO THE AFTERNOON THOUGH AS LOW-LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS AND SOME CONVERGENCE LINGERS OVER REGION WITH SURFACE TO 850 MB BAROCLINIC ZONES. GFS PRODUCES A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF QPF THIS AFTERNOON. SHARP CONTRAST WITH HIGH TEMPS TODAY ON EITHER SIDE OF THE STATIONARY BOUNDARY...WITH MID 60S IN THE SOUTHWEST...BUT ONLY MID 40S IN THE NORTHEAST. NEUTRAL TEMP ADVECTION INTO THE EVENING...WITH WAA AND MID LEVEL MOISTENING BETWEEN 06Z AND 12Z TUE AS FLOW BACKS AHEAD OF DEEPENING WESTERN TROUGH THAT CLOSES OFF OVER THE 4-CORNERS REGION BY 12Z TUESDAY. THIS WILL HOLD TEMPS UP...ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHWEST CWA...WITH INCREASING POPS FROM SW TO NE...WITH RAIN BECOMING LIKELY IN THE SW BY 12Z TUE. .TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS MEDIUM TO HIGH. SHORT TERM MODELS ARE COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE REGION DURING THIS PERIOD. FOLLOWED THE GFS/ECMWF TRENDS VERSUS THE NORTHERLY TRACK OF THE NAM. GFS/ECMWF SHOW LOW PRESSURE MOVING FROM THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS AT 12Z TUESDAY TO EAST CENTRAL/NORTHEAST MISSOURI AT 12Z WEDNESDAY. IT MOVES TO EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS/WEST CENTRAL INDIANA AT 12Z THURSDAY...THEN WELL EAST OF THE AREA BY 12Z FRIDAY. SOUTHWEST FLOW AT 500MB LINGERS TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT...BEFORE 500MB LOW SHIFTS NORTHEAST INTO THE REGION THURSDAY...BEFORE OPENING AND SLIDING OFF TO THE EAST THURSDAY NIGHT. FOR THE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY PERIOD...SURFACE WARM FRONT WILL SLOWLY RETREAT SOUTHWARD ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS AS THE SURFACE LOW APPROACHES. FOCUSED WARM AIR ADVECTION AND CONVERGENCE AT 850MB...COMBINED WITH 850MB TO 700MB FRONTOGENESIS RESPONSE...SHOULD BRING ROUNDS OF MODERATE RAIN SHOWERS DURING THIS TIME. AREA FORECAST SOUNDINGS FROM GFS DOES SHOW WEAK INSTABILITY...SO KEPT SLIGHT CHANCES FOR THUNDER GOING. QPF TOTALS OF AROUND 1.75 INCHES IN THE FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES...TO AROUND 2.50 INCHES IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES...ARE FORECAST TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL LEAD TO RISING RIVER STAGES AND SOME MINOR FLOODING ON THE USUAL QUICK RESPONDING RIVERS. NORTH/NORTHEAST LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL KEEP THE AREA COOL DURING THIS TIME...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE LAKE. MAIN ISSUE WILL BE PRECIPITATION TYPES WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY ACROSS THE AREA. AREA FORECAST SOUNDINGS FROM THE GFS ACROSS ALL BUT THE FAR SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES WEDNESDAY NIGHT INDICATE COLDER AIR SHIFTING INTO THE AREA. THIS LEAVES A WARM LAYER IN THE 4000 TO 9000 FOOT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL RANGE. ICE CRYSTALS ARE LOST ABOVE THIS LAYER. TOP DOWN METHOD FOR PRECIPITATION TYPES LEAD TO RAIN WITH TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING AT THE SURFACE...AND FREEZING RAIN WITH TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW FREEZING. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL TO OR BELOW FREEZING ACROSS ALL BUT THE FAR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES LATER WEDNESDAY NIGHT. FAIRLY STRONG 850MB TO 700MB AND 700MB TO 500MB FRONTOGENESIS RESPONSE SHIFT THROUGH THE WESTERN AND NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES BETWEEN 06Z AND 12Z THURSDAY. THUS...POTENTIAL FOR A FREEZING RAIN EVENT TO OCCUR. FOR NOW...WILL GO WITH RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN THE NORTH AND WEST...AND KEEP CHANCE OF SNOW LATER WEDNESDAY NIGHT. EXPANDED THIS AREA SOUTHEAST LATER IN THE NIGHT...WITH A CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN IN THE FAR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES. THIS PERIOD WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE EVENT. FRONTOGENESIS RESPONSE MENTIONED ABOVE MOVES NORTHEAST OUT OF THE AREA THURSDAY MORNING...THOUGH 500MB LOW SHIFTS NORTHEAST INTO THE REGION. COLDER AIR ALOFT SHOULD ALLOW PRECIPITATION TO BECOME ALL LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW ACROSS ALL BUT THE FAR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES THURSDAY MORNING...WITH MILDER TEMPERATURES ALLOWING FOR A MIX IN THE NORTHERN COUNTIES AND RAIN IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE FAR SOUTHEAST WILL BE SOMEWHAT WARMER ALOFT AND AT THE SURFACE THURSDAY MORNING...WHICH MAY LEAD TO MORE OF A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW...WITH SOME LIGHT FREEZING RAIN POSSIBLE. WILL TREND FORECAST FOR THURSDAY THIS WAY. COULD SEE A FEW INCHES OF WET AND HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATION...ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN COUNTIES. PRECIPITATION SHOULD BECOME LIGHT AND END BY LATER THURSDAY NIGHT. .FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS MEDIUM. ECMWF AND GFS ARE IN FAIR AGREEMENT WITH TRENDS DURING THIS PERIOD. THEY SHOW 500MB LOW SHIFTING EAST OF THE REGION FRIDAY...WITH WEAK 500MB RIDGING SHIFTING EAST THROUGH THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES EAST THROUGH THE REGION DURING THIS TIME...WHICH SHOULD BRING QUIET WEATHER. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ON THE COOL SIDE THROUGH THIS PERIOD. THEY THEN BRING LOW PRESSURE FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO NORTHERN MINNESOTA SUNDAY. WARM AIR ADVECTION TAKES HOLD OF THE AREA...WITH MOISTURE MOVING INTO THE REGION AS WELL. THIS LEADS TO QPF WITH RAIN OCCURRING ACROSS THE REGION. THIS SHOULD ALSO LEAD TO MILDER TEMPERATURES. USED CONSENSUS POPS AND TEMPERATURES FOR SUNDAY. && .AVIATION/12Z TAFS/... ADDED WIND SHEAR FOR A FEW HOURS TO THE TAFS AS 2K FT WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO 35 TO 40 KTS OVER WRN CWA...AND WILL PUSH EAST AHEAD OF SHORT WAVE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING. THE RAIN WITH THIS WAVE WILL DROP CIGS/VSBYS TO MVFR LEVELS...WITH IFR POSSIBLE WITH THE HEAVIER RAIN. LOOKS AS IF STEADY PCPN WILL END AT KMSN AROUND 16Z...BETWEEN 17Z AND 18Z AT KUES AND 18Z AT KMKE AND KENW. WILL SEE A RETURN TO VFR BEHIND THE WAVE. SOUNDINGS SHOW SOME INSTABILITY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH GFS PRODUCING SOME QPF WITH STATIONARY FRONT LINGERING IN THE REGION. MORE OF A VICINITY SHOWER SITUATION AND WILL LEAVE OUT FOR NOW. PCPN RETURNS LATE TONIGHT WITH MID-LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION AS FLOW BACKS AHEAD OF DEEP WESTERN WAVE. MOST LIKELY TO REACH KMSN BY 12Z TUE...BUT CANT RULE OUT EASTERN SITES SEEING LIGHT PCPN. MOS GUIDANCE HAS IFR CIGS/VSBYS WITH DEVELOPING EAST WINDS AT EASTERN SITES...WITH IFR CIGS WITH THE PCPN AT KMSN. && .MARINE... STRENGTHENING EASTERLY WINDS AHEAD OF SURFACE LOW REFLECTION OF 500 MB WAVE CROSSING THE REGION WILL REMAIN LOW ENOUGH TO KEEP WAVES BELOW SMALL CRAFT CRITERIA. BETTER CHANCE OF SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS WILL COME BRIEFLY TUESDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING...AND AGAIN LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. NO HEADLINE YET AS BETTER CHANCE COMES BEYOND CURRENT FORECAST. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. LM...NONE. && TODAY/TONIGHT AND AVIATION/MARINE...REM TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...WOOD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 422 AM CDT MON APR 8 2013 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-091100- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- 422 AM CDT MON APR 8 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AS LOW PRESSURE CROSSES THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SEVERAL ROUNDS OF MODERATE RAINFALL...INCLUDING ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...ARE EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY. RIVER LEVELS WILL RISE ONCE AGAIN WITH MANY REACHING BANKFULL STAGE WITH SOME REACHING MINOR FLOOD STAGE. THERE IS A GOOD POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING RAIN ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A PORT WASHINGTON...MADISON TO MONROE LINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE FREEZING RAIN WILL GLAZE ROADS AND CAUSE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED IN THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. LMZ643>646-091100- SHEBOYGAN TO PORT WASHINGTON WI- PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHT WI- NORTH POINT LIGHT TO WIND POINT WI- WIND POINT WI TO WINTHROP HARBOR IL- 422 AM CDT MON APR 8 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY STRONG LOW PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY MOVE FROM THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS TO THE LOWER GREAT LAKES THIS WEEK. BRISK NORTHEAST WINDS AND HIGH WAVES ARE EXPECTED FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO OCCUR AT TIMES FROM TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. REM WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Rock River near Afton experienced moderate flooding, cresting at 11.76 feet, or 2.76 feet over the flood stage of 9 feet, at 10 AM CDT on April 18th. The river remained above flood stage into May.
The Fox River at New Munster went into major flood, cresting at 14.5 feet, or 4.5 feet over the flood stage of 10 feet, at 1245 AM CDT on April 20th.The rier remained above flood stage into May.
The Sheboygan River in Sheboygan experienced moderate flooding, cresting at 10.23 feet, or 2.23 feet over the flood stage of 8 feet, at 925 PM CDT on April 11th.
The Crawfish River near Milton experienced minor flooding, cresting at 8.71 feet, or 1.71 feet over the flood stage of 7 feet, at 815 PM CDT on April 20th.
The Milwaukee River near Cedarburg experienced minor flooding, cresting at 12.44 feet, or 1.44 feet over the flood stage of 11 feet, at 419 AM CDT on April 14th.
The Rock River at Lake Koshkonong experienced major flooding, cresting at 12.39 feet, or 2.39 feet over the flood stage of 10 feet, at 9 AM CDT on April 23rd. The river remained above flood stage into May.
The Rock River near Jefferson experienced moderate flooding, cresting at 12.31 feet, or 2.31 feet over the flood stage of 10 feet, at 658 AM CDT on April 20th. The river remained above flood stage into May.
The Rock River at Newville experienced major flooding, cresting at 8.51 feet, or 2.01 feet over the flood stage of 6.5 feet, at 1150 PM CDT on April 23rd. The river remained above flood stage into May.
The Sugar River near Brodhead experienced minor flooding, cresting at 7.02 feet, or 2.02 feet over the flood stage of 5 feet, at 4 AM CDT on April 12th.
The Rock River near Fort Atkinson experienced major flooding, cresting at 18.12 feet, or 2.12 feet over the flood stage of 16 feet, at 3 AM CDT on April 22nd. The river remained above flood stage into May.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, April 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: 449776, 449765, 449783, 449780, 449773, 449782, 449778, 449781, 449775, 449777.