During the first week of November, 1 to 2 inches of rain fell across western into central Wisconsin. This helped the lingering drought, lowering the drought status to moderate across all of Juneau and Monroe Counties.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
During the first week of November, 1 to 2 inches of rain fell across western into central Wisconsin. This helped the lingering drought, lowering the drought status to moderate across all of Juneau and Monroe Counties. However, this was not enough rain to have a significant impact in other parts of western Wisconsin and the severe drought continued across the northern halves of Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties into the northwest corner of Jackson 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 Oct 31, 10:00 PM CST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1100 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 317 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS ARE ON LIGHT RAIN CHANCES TONIGHT AND LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND 500 MB RAP ANALYSIS SHOWED A TROUGH EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY SOUTH THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND MOVING EAST. AN EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE WAS LIFTING NORTHEAST THROUGH NORTHERN ILLINOIS INTO SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOWED LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTHEAST WISCONSIN WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTH ALONG THE INTERSTATE 39 CORRIDOR INTO THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS MOVING EAST. EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER NOTED OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40S OVER SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA TO THE MID 50S OVER CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THE SURFACE LOW WILL DEEPEN AND SHIFT EAST OVER NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN/EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN TONIGHT AS THE TROUGH LIFTS INTO THE GREAT LAKES. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO BRING ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER THE AREA AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. A WEAK SHORTWAVE AND SURFACE TROUGH WILL SLIDE ACROSS CENTRAL WISCONSIN TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING AND MAY GENERATE SOME LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE OVER PORTIONS OF WESTERN INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. OTHERWISE...PLAN ON A CLOUDY AND COOL NIGHT WITH LOWS FALLING INTO THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40S. CLOUDS WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE REGION ON FRIDAY AS ANOTHER TROUGH DROPS SOUTH OUT OF SOUTHERN MANITOBA/SASKATCHEWAN. THE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO SLIDE ACROSS THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY NIGHT BRINGING A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN TO THE AREA. GIVEN THE CLOUDS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION ON FRIDAY AND THE PRECIPITATION MOVING IN LATE DECIDED TO COOL HIGHS A FEW DEGREES ON FRIDAY WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE MID 40S OVER NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN TO AROUND 50 ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 317 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY BUILDS INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY ON SATURDAY WITH DECREASING CLOUDS EXPECTED BY LATE AFTERNOON. AN UPPER RIDGE WILL SLIDE OVER THE AREA ON SUNDAY PROVIDING MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. BREEZY SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL DEVELOP ON SUNDAY AS THE SURFACE HIGH SLIDES OFF OT THE EAST AND A TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER THE PLAINS. THE OPEN AREAS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA WILL SEE THE STRONGEST WINDS WHERE SPEEDS DURING THE AFTERNOON WILL RANGE FROM THE 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH. A RIDGE DIGS INTO THE WESTERN CONUS FOR THE START OF THE WORK WEEK PUSHING A COLD FRONT TOWARD THE AREA FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS. ACTIVE SOUTHWEST FLOW SETS UP OVER THE REGION FROM MONDAY INTO WEDNESDAY WITH SEVERAL ROUNDS OF PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE. RAIN CHANCES SPREAD BACK INTO THE AREA ON MONDAY AS THE FRONT MOVES INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY AND STALLS OVER THE FORECAST AREA. SHORTWAVES WITHIN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL INTERACT WITH THE FRONT AND WILL LIKELY BRING SHOWERS TO THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY. FORECAST MODELS ARE IN CLOSE AGREEMENT ON PUSHING THE COLD FRONT ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS A STRONGER SHORTWAVES LIFTS NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA...SO WILL GO WITH LIKELY PRECIPITATION CHANCES. TEMPERATURES COOL BEHIND THE FRONT WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. HIGHS ON WEDNESDAY ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FORM THE MID TO UPPER 40S...THEN COOL INTO THE LOWER 40S FOR THURSDAY. CANNOT RULE OUT SOME SNOW MIXING IN WITH THE RAIN LATE TUESDAY NIGHT WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THEN AGAIN LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT OVER NORTHEAST IOWA INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION DEPARTS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1100 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 LOW CIGS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS - GENERALLY HOVERING NEAR 1 KFT - AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM EXITS TO THE EAST. NOT MUCH VSBY RESTRICTIONS VIA LATEST SFC OBS...OUTSIDE OF AREAS OF -DZ/-SHRA ACROSS NORTHWEST WI. DON/T EXPECT FOG TO THICKEN TONIGHT...UNLIKE LAST NIGHT...AS WINDS STAY FAIRLY STIRRED OUT OF THE WEST/NORTHWEST. CIGS SHOULD START TO IMPROVE BY MID MORNING FRIDAY...AND COULD GET A BUMP INTO VFR BY 18Z. WILL PLAY THIS MORE PESSIMISTICALLY...WAITING UNTIL LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. FALL/WINTER CAN BE NOTORIOUS FOR HANGING ONTO LOW CIGS LONGER THAN THE MODELS WOULD SUGGEST. BITS OF UPPER LEVEL ENERGY AND A SFC TROUGH HAVE SPARKED -DZ/-SHRA FROM CENTRAL MN INTO NORTHWEST WI. RAP13/HRRR/NAM12 FAVOR THE BETTER CHANCES ALONG I-94 NORTH/EAST...BUT RADAR TRENDS SUGGEST SOME LIGHT PCPN COULD REACH KRST/KLSE. WILL ADD -DZ FOR A FEW HOURS TO THE FORECAST. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT TERM...WETENKAMP LONG TERM....WETENKAMP AVIATION.....RIECK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1200 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034- 041>044-053>055-061-011100- 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- 1200 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA...AND WESTERN WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... NO ACTION IS NEEDED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. WETENKAMP/BOYNE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The drought status across Juneau County was changed from severe to moderate after 1 to 2 inches of rain fell in the first week of November.
The drought status across Monroe County was changed from severe to moderate after 1 to 2 inches of rain fell in the first week of November.
The northern sections of Buffalo County only received between 1 and 1.5 inches of liquid precipitation during November. This was not enough to change the soil moisture conditions and a severe drought remained across the northern half of the county.
The northern sections of Trempealeau County only received between 1.5 and 2 inches of liquid precipitation during November. This was not enough to change the soil moisture conditions and a severe drought remained across the northern half of the county.
The northwest half of Jackson County only received between 1.5 and 2 inches of liquid precipitation during November. This was not enough to change the soil moisture conditions and a severe drought remained across the northwest corner of the county.
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, November 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: 477335, 477336, 479139, 479140, 479141.