Runoff from heavy rains in late April and early May caused minor flooding to occur along portions of the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa.
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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.
Runoff from heavy rains in late April and early May caused minor flooding to occur along portions of the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa.
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 4, 11:31 AM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1231 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2014 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 702 AM CDT SUN MAY 4 2014 A BAND OF STRONG 900 TO 500 MB FRONTOGENESIS WILL BRUSH NORTHEAST IOWA AND A SMALL PART OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA THIS MORNING. THIS BAND IS CURRENTLY PRODUCING A BAND OF RAIN ACROSS SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA AND NORTH CENTRAL IOWA. THE HRRR SEEMS TO HAVE THE BEST HANDLE ON THIS AND SHOWS THE BAND MOVING THROUGH OUR 5 WESTERN COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST IOWA. DUE TO THIS...RAISED THE RAIN CHANCES UP TO 50 PERCENT FROM 04.13Z TO 04.16Z. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 230 AM CDT SUN MAY 4 2014 CURRENTLY AS OF 07Z...WATER VAPOR LOOP AND RAP 500MB HEIGHT ANALYSIS SHOWED A DEEP TROUGH COMING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...RIDGING DOWNSTREAM OVER THE ROCKIES AND WESTERN PLAINS...AND MORE TROUGHING OVER THE GREAT LAKES. ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF THIS GREAT LAKES TROUGH...A 100 KT JET STREAK NEAR 250MB EXTENDED FROM INTERNATIONAL FALLS MN TO TRAVERSE CITY MI PER RAP ANALYSIS. THIS JET STREAK WAS AIDING IN A MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS ZONE TO ITS SOUTHWEST OVER THE EASTERN DAKOTAS INTO SOUTHERN MN. EXTENSIVE MID CLOUDS FROM SOUTH DAKOTA EASTWARD TO LOCATIONS SOUTHWEST OF I-94 IN THE FORECAST AREA EXIST AS A RESULT OF THIS FRONTOGENESIS ZONE. RADAR IMAGERY DEPICTS TWO BANDS OF SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS SOUTH DAKOTA BUT NO PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN REPORTED DUE TO DRY LOW LEVEL AIR. BANDS ACROSS SOUTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA ACTUALLY PRODUCING SOME LIGHTNING FROM STEEPER MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES COMING OFF THE ROCKIES. 925MB DEWPOINT DEPRESSIONS WERE 10-15C AT 00Z AT BIS...ABR AND MPX...HELPING TO PREVENT RAIN FROM REACHING THE GROUND. ALONG WITH THE DRY AIR...COOLER AIR WAS ADVECTING SOUTHEASTWARD FROM CANADA INTO THE FORECAST AREA. 925MB TEMPS AT BIS AND ABR FELL 5-6C OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS. UPPER RIDGING OVER THE ROCKIES IS PROGGED TO SLIDE FULLY OVER THE PLAINS BY 12Z MONDAY...PUSHED AHEAD BY THE DEEP TROUGH COMING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. WITH THE FORECAST AREA STAYING ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIDGE AXIS...THIS FAVORS SUBSIDENCE AND DRYING WITH HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE. HOWEVER...THERE ARE TWO CAVEATS TO THIS GENERALITY. 1. THIS MORNING WITH THE MID-LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS ZONE AND RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF THE JET STREAK. MODELS HAVE DEFINITELY TRENDED WEAKER WITH THIS FRONTOGENESIS...EVEN JUST BETWEEN THE 03.18Z AND 04.00Z NAM. AS A RESULT...THE 04.00Z GFS/NAM/REGIONAL CANADIAN HAVE REALLY BACKED OFF ON THE IDEA OF RAIN ACROSS SOUTHERN MN...NORTHERN IA...SOUTHERN WI AND NORTHERN IL THIS MORNING. 04.06Z RAP AND 04.04Z HRRR...WHICH ARE MIMICKING NICELY WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THE DAKOTAS...ALSO ARE DRIER. THEREFORE...HAVE FOLLOWED SUIT AND REALLY LOWERED PRECIPITATION CHANCES. 2. 04.00Z NAM/REGIONAL CANADIAN/GFS/ECMWF DEPICT ANOTHER BAND OF MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS TO TRACK OUT OF NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND ACROSS LOCATIONS MAINLY NORTH OF I-94 BETWEEN 06-12Z MONDAY. THERE WERE INDICATIONS IN PAST RUNS OF POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION FROM THIS BAND...BUT THE 04.00Z ARE THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THUS FAR. THEREFORE...HAVE ADDED 20 PERCENT CHANCES. STILL HAVE SOME CONCERNS FOR PRECIPITATION GIVEN HIGH PRESSURE PROGGED OVER UPPER MI...WHICH WOULD PROVIDE A FEED OF DRY LOW LEVEL AIR TO COUNTERACT RAIN FALLING TO THE SURFACE. COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TODAY GIVEN 18Z 925MB TEMPS PROGGED AROUND 4C COMPARED TO 7-10C AT 18Z YESTERDAY. HIGHS SHOULD BE AT LEAST 5 IF NOT 10 DEGREES COOLER...COOLEST OVER NORTHEAST IOWA WITH MOST CLOUD COVER. BATCH OF MID CLOUDS COMING THROUGH WITH THE FRONTOGENESIS ZONE TONIGHT COMBINED WITH AN INCREASING SOUTHEAST 925MB WIND SHOULD HELP TEMPERATURES FROM BOTTOMING OUT TOO MUCH. GUIDANCE LOWS IN THE 30S SEEM REASONABLE. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 230 AM CDT SUN MAY 4 2014 BAND OF MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS ALONG/NORTH OF I-94 LATE TONIGHT LOOKS TO QUICKLY MOVE OFF TO THE EAST MONDAY MORNING. ONLY THE 04.00Z NAM LINGERS SOME LIGHT RAIN OVER TAYLOR/CLARK COUNTIES AFTER 12Z MONDAY. THEREFORE...HAVE FOLLOWED THE PREVIOUS FORECAST AND KEPT MONDAY DRY FOR NOW. DRY WEATHER IN FACT SHOULD PREVAIL ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH TUESDAY AS THE AREA REMAINS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES. THE MODERATING TREND IN TEMPERATURES FOR MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY REMAINS CONSISTENT WITH 925MB READINGS CLIMBING TO 6-8C AT 18Z MONDAY AND 8- 10C AT 18Z TUESDAY. WITH SOME SUN...ESPECIALLY ON TUESDAY...SHOULD SEE HIGHS CLIMB INTO THE MID 50S/LOW 60S ON MONDAY AND LOW TO MID 60S ON TUESDAY. MONDAY NIGHT COULD BE RELATIVELY CHILLY ACROSS CENTRAL WISCONSIN WITH CALM WINDS AND DRY AIR IN PLACE. LOWS THERE MAY DIP CLOSE TO FREEZING. MODELS CONTINUE TO FORECAST AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN FROM TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...IN RESPONSE TO A BIG PORTION OF A LONG WAVE UPPER TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN U.S. AT 00Z WEDNESDAY LIFTING NORTHEAST INTO THE REGION. THE BIGGEST CHANGE OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS WITH THIS PERIOD OF THE FORECAST IS THAT THE ASSOCIATED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LIFTING OUT OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS IS MUCH SLOWER TO CROSS THE AREA THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. A LOT OF THIS SLOWING APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THE PORTION OF THE LONG WAVE TROUGH TAKING A MORE NORTHWESTWARD TRACK. HIGHLIGHTS... 1. ELEVATED CONVECTION TUESDAY NIGHT / WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS SIGNAL HAS BEEN VERY CONSISTENT FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. INCREASING 850MB MOISTURE TRANSPORT AND CAPE ARE PROGGED TO OCCUR OVER IOWA THROUGH THE NIGHT...NOSING INTO THE FORECAST AREA. SEEMS LIKELY TO AT LEAST GET ELEVATED CONVECTION AND POSSIBLY EVEN AN MCS. SHOULD AN MCS FORM...CORFIDI VECTORS WOULD SUPPORT THE IDEA OF THE 04.00Z NAM OF AN MCS TRACKING EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS IOWA. IN ANY EVENT...GIVEN THE CONSISTENT SIGNAL...FELT INCREASE IN PRECIPITATION CHANCES SEEMS WARRANTED. WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER WITH LARGE HAIL THE MOST LIKELY CONCERN. 2. DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY...04.00Z GFS/ECMWF DEPICT A LOT OF LIGHT PRECIP...MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF I-90 WHICH IS ALSO NORTH OF A WARM FRONT. SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THIS IS LOW LEVEL ISENTROPIC LIFT INDUCED BELOW A STRONG CAP...SO PERHAPS AFTER SOME MORNING STORMS WE END UP WITH A BUNCH OF DRIZZLE. THIS IDEA SEEMS REASONABLE WHICH ALSO MEANS A DECENT TEMPERATURE GRADIENT COULD SET UP OVER THE FORECAST AREA. 3. ANOTHER ROUND OF ELEVATED CONVECTION WEDNESDAY NIGHT IF THE 04.00Z GFS IS CORRECT...THOUGH THE 04.00Z ECMWF/CANADIAN SUGGEST THIS CONVECTION WOULD TAKE PLACE WELL NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE AREA UNDER THE 850MB MOISTURE TRANSPORT STREAM. FOR NOW MAINTAINED 20-50 PERCENT CHANCES. WEDNESDAY NIGHT IS LOOKING WARM AND HUMID AS WELL...ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN. 4. THURSDAY IS LOOKING MORE MESSY...ESPECIALLY FORECASTING THE HIGH TEMP. MODELS AGREE THE FORECAST AREA IS IN THE WARM SECTOR...WHICH NORMALLY SUGGESTS A CAPPED ATMOSPHERE. HOWEVER...THE 04.00Z ECMWF/CANADIAN/GFS ARE ALL POINTING TO A WARM CONVEYOR BELT OF SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA AHEAD OF THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH LIFTING THROUGH THE PLAINS. 04.00Z ECMWF HAS CUT HIGHS 5-8 DEGREES AS A RESULT. THUS...FOR NOW HAVE LEFT A CONSENSUS HIGH IN THE 70S. STILL...THIS IS MUCH WARMER THAN WHERE WE HAVE BEEN. 5. POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER LATE THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT. GIVEN THE NORTHWESTWARD TREND OF THE PLAINS TROUGH...SLOWER COLD FRONTAL TIMING AND THAT WARM CONVEYOR BELT ON THURSDAY LIMITING DAYTIME INSTABILITY...VERY UNCLEAR ON HOW THURSDAY NIGHT WILL PLAY OUT. WOULDN\T DOUBT THE FORECAST AREA IS IMPACTED BY STORMS...AND THUS HAVE 50-60 PERCENT CHANCES GOING. HOWEVER...THE TIMING MAY KEEP THE SEVERE CONCERN WEST OF THE AREA. MANY DAYS TO WORK OUT THE DETAILS. MAINTAINED SOME CHANCES FOR FRIDAY WITH POTENTIAL LINGERING SHOWERS ON THE WRAP AROUND OF THE SYSTEM. MUCH COOLER TEMPS FOR FRIDAY TOO. DRIER WEATHER FOLLOWS FOR FRIDAY NIGHT WITH HIGH PRESSURE SLIDING THROUGH...THEN A COLD FRONT LOOKS TO APPROACH FOR SATURDAY TO BRING THE NEXT CHANCE OF RAIN. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1230 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2014 FRONTOGENETIC BAND OF PRECIPITATION JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE TAF LOCATIONS AT MID-DAY CONTINUES TO MAINTAIN MID CLOUD IN THE AREA. THIS GENERAL AREA OF FORCING...ALTHOUGH WEAKENING...WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THIS CLOUD COVER INTO TONIGHT. MEANWHILE...THE NEXT ROUND OF FRONTOGENETIC FORCING WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN MN/WI TONIGHT...WITH ANOTHER BAND DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTHERN IL. TAF LOCATIONS LOOK TO BE BETWEEN THESE BANDS...SO DO NOT ANTICIPATE ANY PRECIPITATION...BUT MORE MID CLOUD AND PERHAPS SOME HIGH STRATO-CU WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE TAF LOCATIONS. OTHER AVIATION CONCERN WILL BE WINDS AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OVERHEAD. LOW LEVEL WIND SWITCHING FROM NORTHEAST TO EAST AND THEN SOUTHEAST WITH TIME...WHILE UPPER LEVEL FLOW REMAINS WEST TO NORTHWEST. WHILE SPEEDS ARE NOT TERRIBLY HIGH...DIRECTION CHANGE WITH HEIGHT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO SOME AIRCRAFT. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 230 AM CDT SUN MAY 4 2014 FLOODING CONTINUES ALONG THE MAINSTEM MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS RUNOFF FROM MELTING SNOW AND ALL OF THE RAINFALL OVER THE PAST 7-10 DAYS MOVES THROUGH THE WATERSHED. MOST OF THE TRIBUTARIES ARE FALLING AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO DO SO THE NEXT FEW DAYS. FOR THE MISSISSIPPI... CRESTS ARE EXPECTED FROM LAKE CITY THROUGH WABASHA AND ALMA ON MONDAY...AND ON TUESDAY FOR WINONA TO LA CROSSE. CRESTS WILL BE WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY FROM GENOA THROUGH GUTTENBERG. FLOODING WILL REMAIN MINOR...THOUGH WINONA COULD GET CLOSE TO MODERATE FLOOD STAGE. REFER TO THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS FOR DETAILS. NO LARGE RAIN AMOUNTS ARE ANTICIPATED UNTIL PERHAPS LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS RAIN COULD SLOW THE RATE OF FALL OF THE MISSISSIPPI...BUT AT THIS TIME DOES NOT APPEAR AS IF IT WILL HAVE MUCH INFLUENCE ON THE CREST LEVEL. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && UPDATE...BOYNE SHORT TERM...AJ LONG TERM...AJ AVIATION...MW HYDROLOGY...MW/AJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 413 AM CDT SUN MAY 4 2014 IAZ008>010-018-019-029-MNZ086-087-094-095-WIZ017-029-034-042>044- 055-051200- MITCHELL-HOWARD-WINNESHIEK-FLOYD-CHICKASAW-FAYETTE-DODGE-OLMSTED- MOWER-FILLMORE-TAYLOR-CLARK-JACKSON-MONROE-JUNEAU-ADAMS-RICHLAND- 413 AM CDT SUN MAY 4 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RETURN TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. THERE COULD BE TWO ROUNDS OF SEVERE WEATHER FROM THESE STORMS... ONE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING...AND ANOTHER LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL WILL BECOME CLEARER OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TUESDAY. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. IAZ011-030-MNZ079-088-096-WIZ032-033-041-053-054-061-051200- ALLAMAKEE-CLAYTON-WABASHA-WINONA-HOUSTON-BUFFALO-TREMPEALEAU- LA CROSSE-VERNON-CRAWFORD-GRANT- 413 AM CDT SUN MAY 4 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT MISSISSIPPI RIVER LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE DUE TO RUNOFF FROM RECENT RAINFALL...AND FLOOD WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR SEVERAL LOCATIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY FLOOD WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR SEVERAL LOCATIONS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS WATERS CONTINUE TO RISE. CRESTS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR THIS WEEK. CHECK THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC INFORMATION FOR DETAILS. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RETURN TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. THERE COULD BE TWO ROUNDS OF SEVERE WEATHER FROM THESE STORMS... ONE LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING...AND ANOTHER LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL WILL BECOME CLEARER OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TUESDAY. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. AJ
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Runoff from heavy rain in late April through the middle of May caused the Mississippi River to go out of its banks in McGregor. The river crested almost 2 feet above the flood stage at 17.93 on the 8th and had a second crest over a foot above the flood state at 17.23 feet on the 20th.
Runoff from heavy rains in late April and early May caused the Mississippi River to go out of its banks in Guttenberg. The river crested just over a foot above the flood stage at 16.16 feet.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, May 2014
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: 516281, 516604.