Runoff from heavy rains in the late part of April and early May caused minor flooding to occur along portions of the Black and Mississippi Rivers in western Wisconsin.
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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 the late part of April and early May caused minor flooding to occur along portions of the Black and Mississippi Rivers in western Wisconsin.
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 2, 1:40 AM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 240 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2014 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 240 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2014 CURRENTLY AS OF 07Z...WATER VAPOR LOOP AND RAP 500MB HEIGHT ANALYSIS SHOWED RIDGING OVER THE WESTERN U.S. INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA...AN UPPER LOW AND SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER NORTHERN ALBERTA/SASKATCHEWAN... A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA...AND AN ELONGATED LONG WAVE TROUGH FROM TEXAS INTO THE GREAT LAKES. THE FORECAST AREA LIES NOW IN SUBSIDENCE IN THE WAKE OF THE LONG WAVE TROUGH...PROMOTING DRY AIR ADVECTION FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS CAN BE SEEN BY THE LOW STRATUS DECK CLEARING ACROSS MINNESOTA ON 11-3.9UM IMAGERY AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS. 00Z BIS AND ABR SOUNDINGS WERE ALSO QUITE DRY WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER OF ONLY 0.3-0.4 INCHES. REPLACING THE STRATUS DECK HAS BEEN MID AND HIGH CLOUDS SPREADING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE DAKOTAS AND MINNESOTA...AHEAD OF THE SHORTWAVE THERE. GRAND FORKS RADAR DISPLAYING SOME LIGHT RETURNS AS WELL...BUT SO FAR THE DRY AIR HAS BEEN WINNING OUT KEEPING THE PRECIPITATION AS VIRGA. AIRMASS OVER THE FORECAST AT 00Z WAS STILL UNSEASONABLY COOL WITH 925MB TEMPS AROUND 4C...BUT WARMER 9-13C READINGS WERE LURKING UPSTREAM AT ABR AND BIS. BEHIND THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH IN SOUTHERN MANITOBA...SKIES CLEAR OUT AND SURFACE PRESSURES WERE RISING ABOUT 1 MB/HR...PROMOTING GUSTY WINDS ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT DROPPING THE SOUTHERN MANITOBA SHORTWAVE SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. MORE IMPORTANTLY...THERE IS A CONSISTENT SIGNAL FROM ALL MODELS FOR THE SHORTWAVE TO WEAKEN SOME. THIS WEAKENING COMBINED WITH THE DRY ADVECTION CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE FROM THE NORTHWEST BRINGS IN SOME CONCERN FOR PRECIPITATION CHANCES TODAY. HARD TO FIND A MODEL THAT DOESN\T PRECIPITATE WITH THE SHORTWAVE...WHICH MAKES SENSE IN GENERAL GIVEN WE HAVE A SHORTWAVE TROUGH COMING THROUGH AT PEAK HEATING. BETWEEN DYNAMICS AND INSTABILITY FROM HEATING...SHOWERS DEVELOPING IS REASONABLE. HOWEVER...IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT 2 METER DEWPOINT GUIDANCE FROM THE BASE MODELS SUCH AS THE ECMWF...GFS...NAM AND REGIONAL CANADIAN ALL PUSH DEWPOINTS WELL INTO THE 40S...WITH EVEN THE GFS AND REGIONAL CANADIAN APPROACHING 50 BY 00Z. THIS SEEMS A BIT HIGH GIVEN CURRENT SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 20S TO MID 30S OVER THE DAKOTAS. PERHAPS THE MODELS ARE THINKING GREEN-UP HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE BASED ON CLIMATOLOGY. WE DO HAVE WET SOILS SO THAT COULD PROMOTE SLIGHTLY HIGHER DEWPOINTS. IN SUMMARY...FEEL FAIRLY CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL SEE SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON...BUT A LITTLE LESS CERTAIN ON IF THEY WILL BE WIDESPREAD. ANOTHER CHANGE WORTH NOTING IS THAT THE 02.00Z NAM MUCAPE THIS AFTERNOON HAS DROPPED FROM PREVIOUS RUNS...NOW BELOW 200 J/KG...WHICH MAKES SENSE. CONSIDERED DROPPING THE THUNDER MENTION ENTIRELY AS A RESULT...BUT THE RAP DOES DEPICT A ZONE OF 700-500MB LAPSE RATES APPROACHING 7 C/KM OVER THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON. THEREFORE...HAVE LEFT THE THUNDER IN THE FORECAST FOR THE AFTERNOON. ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY SHOULD QUICKLY EXIT THE AREA BETWEEN 00-03Z WITH THE SHORTWAVE EXITING AND DIURNAL COOLING. AS WE APPROACH LATE TONIGHT...MORE SHOWER ACTIVITY LOOKS TO DROP DOWN INTO NORTHERN MN AND WI. THESE ARE AHEAD OF THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND UPPER LOW CURRENTLY IN NORTHERN ALBERTA/SASKATCHEWAN... PROGGED TO BE OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA AND NORTHERN MN BY 12Z SATURDAY. IT\S POSSIBLE THIS SHOWER ACTIVITY COULD GET INTO TAYLOR COUNTY TOWARDS 12Z...BUT FOR NOW HAVE KEPT THE FORECAST DRY. 925MB TEMPERATURES ARE PROGGED A FEW DEGREES WARMER TODAY...BETWEEN 6-8C FOR THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THERE IS A CHANCE WE CAN SNEAK IN A LITTLE SUN AND WITH A WARM ADVECTING SOUTHWEST WIND...MOST LOCATIONS WILL CLIMB INTO THE 50S. THERE\S EVEN A CHANCE SOME SPOTS COULD PUSH 60...SUCH AS CHARLES CITY...WINONA...LA CROSSE AND BOSCOBEL. THIS ALL HINGES IF WE CAN GET MORE SUN...BUT THINK OVERALL WE WILL BE CLOUDY OR MOSTLY CLOUDY TODAY. COLD ADVECTION TONIGHT ON A NORTHWEST WIND...WHICH COULD BE BRISK IN THE EVENING WEST OF THE MS RIVER WITH THE PRESSURE RISE COMING THROUGH...WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO DROP INTO THE 30S TO LOW 40S TONIGHT. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 240 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2014 UPPER LEVEL PATTERN CHANGE REMAINS ON TRACK DURING THE LONG TERM PERIOD...WITH UPPER RIDGING CURRENTLY OVER THE WESTERN U.S. PROGGED TO BUILD OVER THE REGION LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. THIS IS ALL IN RESPONSE TO AN UPPER LOW CURRENTLY OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST SUGGESTED TO DIG INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN U.S.. THIS PATTERN CHANGE MEANS A GRADUAL MODERATION OF TEMPERATURES...ALONG WITH POTENTIAL FOR MORE ACTIVE WEATHER AS WE APPROACH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. FIRST OFF...SATURDAY. THAT NEXT SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND UPPER LOW CURRENTLY IN NORTHERN ALBERTA/SASKATCHEWAN WILL SLIDE ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF MN AND WI...ALONG WITH UPPER MI AND ONTARIO DURING THE DAY AND EVENING HOURS. THIS TRACK KEEPS THE BEST DPVA FORCING NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. THEREFORE...THINK MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL STAY NORTH AS WELL. HOWEVER...THERE WILL BE A SURFACE COLD FRONT ACCOMPANYING THE SHORTWAVE. THE 02.00Z GFS PRINTS OUT SOME LIGHT QPF OVER LA CROSSE AS THE FRONT COMES THROUGH... MOSTLY A RESULT OF THE MODEL DEVELOPING SOME WEAK CAPE. BELIEVE THE MODEL IS TOO FAR SOUTH AND OVERLY MOIST. HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP ANY LOW CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION NORTH OF I-94...CONSISTENT TOO WITH THE 02.00Z ECMWF. 925MB TEMPS REBOUND DECENTLY ON SATURDAY...6-9C... ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THOSE TODAY. NEXT UP IS ON SUNDAY WHERE THE 02.00Z GFS/CANADIAN/ECMWF/NAM ALL DEVELOP A FRONTOGENETICAL BAND OF PRECIPITATION. THE BAND ALSO HAS SOME RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION FORCING FROM A JET STREAK FOLLOWING THE SATURDAY SHORTWAVE TROUGH. THE NAM IS THE ODD MODEL OUT ON LOCATION OF THE BAND...TRACKING IT FROM MINNEAPOLIS TO LA CROSSE AND THE DELLS...WHEREAS ALL OTHER MODELS SUGGEST SOUTHWEST MN INTO NORTHERN IA AND NORTHERN IL AS THE MORE LIKELY TRACK. GIVEN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THIS FRONTOGENETIC BAND FROM THE OTHER MODELS...HAVE RAISED PRECIPITATION CHANCES. MODEL CONSENSUS SUGGESTS 12-18Z SUNDAY IS THE MOST LIKELY TIME PERIOD FOR PRECIPITATION WITH THE PRECIPITATION EXITING RAPIDLY TO THE SOUTHEAST IN THE AFTERNOON. THERE IS SOME LOWER LEVEL DRY AIR PRESENT...WHICH IF THE PRECIPITATION WAS HEAVIER MIGHT CAUSE PRECIPITATION TYPE ISSUES FROM EVAPORATIVE COOLING. FOR NOW WILL KEEP THE PRECIPITATION TYPE AS RAIN GIVEN GENERALLY LIGHT QPF PROGGED BUT SOMETHING TO WATCH. WITH THIS FRONTOGENETICAL BAND GOING THROUGH AND A NORTHEAST BREEZE...TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO TAKE A COOL DOWN. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE UNDER THE PRECIPITATION. RAIN CHANCES COME BACK FOR MONDAY WHEN YET ANOTHER BAND OF FRONTOGENESIS AND ISENTROPIC LIFT MOVES ACROSS. THIS ONE LOOKS WEAKER THAN ON SUNDAY...THUS 02.00Z GFS/CANADIAN/ECMWF QPF IS LIGHTER AND MORE SPREAD OUT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. CONSENSUS 20 PERCENT CHANCES SEEM REASONABLE. COOLED HIGHS SLIGHTLY FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST DUE TO CLOUDS AND AN EAST WIND AROUND HIGH PRESSURE IN UPPER MI. THESE COULD NEED FURTHER COOLING IF A LITTLE MORE PRECIPITATION IS AROUND AS SUGGESTED BY THE 02.00Z ECMWF. AS THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE AREA LATE TUESDAY AND ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY...THAT IS WHEN SOME BIGGER TEMPERATURE CHANGES TAKE PLACE...ALONG WITH INCREASING CONCERNS FOR CONVECTION AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER. 02.00Z GFS/ECMWF SUGGEST THAT BETWEEN 12Z WEDNESDAY AND 00Z THURSDAY...925MB TEMPS COULD CLIMB AS MUCH AS 10-15C RESULTING IN AN ALMOST SUMMER-LIKE AIRMASS COMING INTO LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-90. WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE HOW THIS PANS OUT. IN ANY EVENT...HAVE FOLLOWED CONSENSUS WITH 30-50 PERCENT CHANCES FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...WITH SLIGHTLY HIGHER CHANCES FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY RESULTING FROM A SHORTWAVE TROUGH COMING THROUGH THE UPPER MIDWEST. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1110 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2014 THE MVFR CLOUD DECK HAS BEEN WORKING STEADILY EAST THIS EVENING AS THE STORM SYSTEM THAT PLAGUED THE AREA THE PAST FEW DAYS CONTINUES TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE REGION. THESE MVFR CLOUDS HAVE ALREADY MOVED EAST OF KRST AND WILL DO THE SAME AT KLSE BY 09Z OR 10Z. EXPECT THAT THE CEILINGS WILL POP UP TO AROUND 10 THOUSAND FEET OR SO FOR A SHORT PERIOD FRIDAY MORNING AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM THAT IS ALREADY QUICKLY APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS SHORT WAVE TROUGH IS SHOWN BY THE 02.00Z NAM TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION FRIDAY AFTERNOON BUT LOOKS TO BE WEAKENING AS IT DOES...WHICH IS SHOWN BY THE DIMINISHING PV ADVECTION SIGNAL IN THE 500-300 MB LAYER. EARLIER RUNS HAD SUGGESTED THAT THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF THE 300 MB JET WOULD ACCOMPANY THE SHORT WAVE TROUGH...BUT THE NAM HAS BACKED AWAY FROM THIS HOLDING THE JET BACK UNTIL THE NEXT SYSTEM COMES OUT OF CANADA FOR SATURDAY. THE DEEPEST MOISTURE LOOKS TO BE OVER WISCONSIN WITH NOT MUCH OF SIGNAL FOR MOISTURE TO RETURN WITH JUST A WEAK MOISTURE TRANSPORT SIGNAL OFF THE THE HIGH PLAINS AND NOT FROM THE GULF REGION. THE NAM ALSO SHOWS LESS CAPE THAN PREVIOUS RUNS WITH LESS THAN 100 J/KG OF ML CAPE AND ONLY AROUND 200 J/KG OF MU CAPE. HAVE STAYED WITH THE IDEA OF JUST SHOWING SOME VICINITY SHOWERS FOR BOTH TAF SITES FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS EXPECTING THE BETTER COVERAGE TO BE TO THE EAST. WITH THE LIMITED CAPE...DID NOT INTRODUCE ANY THUNDER EITHER. THE THREAT FOR SHOWERS SHOULD END LATE IN THE AFTERNOON OR EARLY IN THE EVENING WITH SUBSIDENCE SETTING IN ALLOWING THE CLOUDS TO SCATTER OUT. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 240 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2014 RUNOFF FROM RECENT RAIN CONTINUES TO FLOW THROUGH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TRIBUTARIES AND THE MAIN CHANNEL. CURRENTLY ONLY THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT WABASHA IS IN FLOOD...BUT FORECASTS CONTINUE TO POINT TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT WINONA...LA CROSSE...MCGREGOR AND GUTTENBERG DAM 10 TO BEGIN MINOR FLOODING IN THE NEXT 1 TO 4.5 DAYS. IN ADDITION...THE BLACK RIVER AT GALESVILLE IS APPROACHING FLOOD STAGE...BUT SHOULD NOT CLIMB MUCH ABOVE MINOR FLOOD WITH FALLING RIVER LEVELS AT BLACK RIVER FALLS. NO MAJOR RAINS ARE ANTICIPATED OVER THE NEXT 5 DAYS SO RUNOFF WILL BE THE MAIN CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO RIVER LEVELS. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT TERM...AJ LONG TERM...AJ AVIATION...04 HYDROLOGY...AJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 417 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2014 IAZ008>010-018-019-029-MNZ086-087-094-095-WIZ017-029-034-042>044- 055-031200- MITCHELL-HOWARD-WINNESHIEK-FLOYD-CHICKASAW-FAYETTE-DODGE-OLMSTED- MOWER-FILLMORE-TAYLOR-CLARK-JACKSON-MONROE-JUNEAU-ADAMS-RICHLAND- 417 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH AND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS WITH THE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RETURN TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. IT IS TOO EARLY TO DISCERN IF THERE WOULD BE A SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WITH THESE STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE WEEKEND. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. IAZ011-030-MNZ079-088-096-WIZ032-033-041-053-054-061-031200- ALLAMAKEE-CLAYTON-WABASHA-WINONA-HOUSTON-BUFFALO-TREMPEALEAU- LA CROSSE-VERNON-CRAWFORD-GRANT- 417 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 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. SOME TRIBUTARIES TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ARE ALSO RUNNING HIGH. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH AND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS WITH THE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY FLOOD WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR SEVERAL LOCATIONS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS WATERS CONTINUE TO RISE. CRESTS ARE EXPECTED NEXT WEEK. SOME TRIBUTARIES WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH. CHECK THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC INFORMATION FOR DETAILS. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RETURN TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. IT IS TOO EARLY TO DISCERN IF THERE WOULD BE A SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WITH THESE STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE WEEKEND. .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 and early May pushed the Black River out of its banks near Galesville. The river crested around a quarter of a foot over the flood stage at 12.27 feet.
Runoff from heavy rains in late April and early May pushed the Mississippi River out of its banks in La Crosse. The river crested less than a half foot above the flood stage at 12.36 feet.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, 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: 516276, 516277.