Runoff from repeated rain caused minor lowland flooding of the Little Sioux River during the last few days of April. The flooding affected mainly agricultural land.
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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 FSD wrote it up.
Runoff from repeated rain caused minor lowland flooding of the Little Sioux River during the last few days of April. The flooding affected mainly agricultural land.
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 Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 26, 5:24 AM CST, 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 624 AM CDT TUE APR 26 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 402 AM CDT TUE APR 26 2016 WHILE MUCH OF TODAY WILL PROVE TO REMAIN DRY...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE JAMES RIVER...RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA TONIGHT. A FAIRLY POTENT CLASH OF AIR MASSES IS TAKING PLACE ACROSS PARTS OF KANSAS AND NEBRASKA EARLY THIS MORNING AND AS LOW PRESSURE ACROSS COLORADO LIFTS NORTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS ALOFT WILL INCREASE...ADVECTING THIS MORE UNSTABLE AIR MASS NORTHWARD. WHILE THE LOW LEVELS...MAINLY BELOW 850MB...WILL REMAIN FAIRLY STABLE THE 800MB TO 700MB LAYER MAY PROVIDE THE AREA WITH SOME DECENT INSTABILITY...ESPECIALLY AFTER 20Z. THIS SHOULD START TO BRING THE INCREASE IN SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL INTO THE AREA. THE CHALLENGE FOR ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WILL BE A DRY LAYER IN THAT IMPORTANT 800MB TO 600MB LAYER. THE MODELS ARE NOT REAL CONSISTENT ON THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE THAT WILL ADVECT NORTH...WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO AID IN BREAKING THE CAP...BUT MOST ARE FAIRLY AGREEABLE THIS MOISTURE WILL AT LEAST COME CLOSE TO BREAKING THE CAP...SO WILL HAVE SOME MID RANGE POPS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AT THIS TIME NOT PLANNING ON ANY SEVERE THREAT WITH THIS ACTIVITY. AFTER ABOUT 3Z THE MAIN WAVE WILL LIFT NORTH AND MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL LIFT NORTH SO EXPECTING WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. MODERATE TO OCCASIONAL HEAVY RAIN WILL BRING A GOOD CHANCE FOR A HALF AN INCH TO AN INCH OF RAIN TO AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A DE SMET TO IDA GROVE LINE BY SUNRISE WEDNESDAY MORNING. AS FOR TEMPERATURES WILL KEEP THE PRETTY COOL WHERE CONFIDENCE IN STRATUS IS HIGHEST TODAY...MAINLY MID 50S...WHILE PARTS OF NORTHWEST IOWA SHOULD REACH THE UPPER 60S WITH SOME SUNSHINE. STAYED CLOSEST TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST AND CONSRAW FOR LOWS TONIGHT WITH STRONG EASTERLY FLOW. THE ONLY OFFSET TO REMAINING VERY MILD IS THE THREAT FOR MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WHICH SHOULD LOWER TEMPERATURES MORE THAN IF THERE WAS NO RAIN. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 402 AM CDT TUE APR 26 2016 WEDNESDAY CONTINUES TO LOOK VERY WET AS UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES FROM CENTRAL KANSAS INTO SOUTHERN IOWA. BOTH THE NAM AND GFS SUGGEST FORECAST AREA WILL BE ON THE NORTHERN EDGE OF MOIST TONGUE EXTENDING FROM THE GULF NORTHWARD WITH OVER AN INCH OF PRECIPITABLE WATER. AS UPPER LOW BREAKS APART AND ONE PIECE OF ENERGY MOVES EAST AND THE OTHER LIFTS TO THE NORTH AND WEST...EXPECT WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION FOCUS TO GRADUALLY LIFT NORTH THROUGHOUT THE DAY. BOTH NAM AND GFS SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP AT LEAST THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH UNCAPPED ENVIRONMENT ORIGINATING FROM ELEVATED INVERSION NEAR 850 HPA. EXPECT THUNDER POTENTIAL TO GRADUALLY WANE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WITH RAIN EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY...HAVE COOLED FORECAST HIGHS AND SQUASHED DIURNAL RANGE. ON THURSDAY...MODELS SHOW THE POTENTIAL FOR LINGERING SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA...BUT THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY AS TO WHERE. NAM SOUNDINGS ALONG AND WEST OF THE JAMES SHOW INSTABILITY DEVELOPING IN THE 900- 800 MB LAYER RESULTING IN INSTABILITY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING...WHILE THE GFS IS MUCH FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST NEAR SOUTHERN IOWA WITH ANY INSTABILITY. FOR NOW...STUCK CLOSE TO GUIDANCE POPS FOR NOW. REALLY TRENDED DOWN ON POPS FRIDAY AS AREA APPEARS TO BE TEMPORARILY VOID OF ANY UPPER LEVEL FORCING ACROSS THE REGION. HAVE SOME SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...BUT THERE IS DECENT POTENTIAL TO EVEN PULL THOSE AS MODELS ARE SLOWING SECOND SYSTEM. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS TO BE FOCUSED SLIGHTLY FURTHER SOUTH...AND AT THIS POINT DOESN/T LOOK TO PRODUCE AS MUCH PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE AREA AS THE MID WEEK SYSTEM WILL. HOWEVER...BOTH SYSTEMS BECOME CUT OFF...RESULTING IN COOL DAMP WEATHER THROUGH MUCH OF THE EXTENDED. HAVE RAISED POPS WITH THE SECOND SYSTEM...ESPECIALLY ON SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 622 AM CDT TUE APR 26 2016 MVFR CEILINGS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA THIS MORNING MAY LIFT TO LOW END VFR CEILINGS FOR A BIT THIS AFTERNOON...BUT AS RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE NORTH CONDITIONS WILL AGAIN DETERIORATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS MOST LOCATIONS AFTER 3Z ALONG WITH THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS. BETTER CHANCE FOR STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...08 LONG TERM...BT AVIATION...08
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 409 AM CDT TUE APR 26 2016 IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097- 098-NEZ013-014-SDZ038>040-050-052>071-270915- LYON IA-OSCEOLA-DICKINSON-SIOUX-O'BRIEN-CLAY IA-PLYMOUTH-CHEROKEE- BUENA VISTA-WOODBURY-IDA-LINCOLN MN-LYON MN-MURRAY-COTTONWOOD- NOBLES-JACKSON-PIPESTONE-ROCK-DIXON-DAKOTA-BEADLE-KINGSBURY- BROOKINGS-GREGORY-JERAULD-SANBORN-MINER-LAKE-MOODY-BRULE-AURORA- DAVISON-HANSON-MCCOOK-MINNEHAHA-CHARLES MIX-DOUGLAS-HUTCHINSON- TURNER-LINCOLN SD-BON HOMME-YANKTON-CLAY SD-UNION- 409 AM CDT TUE APR 26 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST IOWA...WEST CENTRAL IOWA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA... SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA ON THIS AFTERNOON AND BECOME WIDESPREAD TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. WHILE SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...ONE TO THREE INCHES OF RAINFALL ACROSS THE REGION IS POSSIBLE AND MAY LEAD TO RISES IN AREA STREAMS AND RIVERS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Runoff from repeated rains caused minor flooding of agricultural land along the Little Sioux River. The river reached a peak stage 1.4 feet above flood stage near Linn Grove at the end of the month.
Runoff from repeated rains caused minor lowland flooding of agricultural land and park land along the Little Sioux River. The river reached a peak stage 2.6 feet above flood stage at Spencer at the end of the month.
Runoff from repeated rains caused minor flooding of agricultural land along the Little Sioux River. The river reached a peak stage 0.8 feet above flood stage at Milford at the end of the month.
Runoff from repeated rains caused minor flooding of agricultural land along the Little Sioux River. The river reached a peak stage 1.1 feet above flood stage at Cherokee near the end of the month.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, April 2016
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: 627910, 627909, 627908, 627911.