Minor to moderate flooding of the Vermillion River continued from the end of April into the early days of May.
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 FSD wrote it up.
Minor to moderate flooding of the Vermillion River continued from the end of April into the early days of May.
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 30, 9:54 PM CST, 2 hours 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 1054 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 311 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESENTLY SPINNING THROUGH CENTRAL NEBRASKA WILL MOVE ONLY SLOWLY EASTWARD TONIGHT AND TOMORROW...BECOMING SITUATED OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS BY SUNDAY EVENING. CURRENT RADAR SHOWING MOST OF THE RAINFALL CONCENTRATED ALONG THE INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR INTO SOUTH CENTRAL SD...AS RAINFALL HAS BEEN CUT OFF THROUGH MOST OF NORTHWEST IA AND THE LOWER MISSOURI VALLEY. HAVE HAD FEW STRONGER WIND GUSTS OVER THE PAST HOUR THROUGH NORTHWEST IOWA AS THE SHOWERS ENDED AND STRONGER WINDS ALOFT MIXED DOWN. HRRR WIND GUST GUIDANCE SHOWING THESE ISOLATED 40 TO 50 MPH GUSTS CONTINUING INTO LATE AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE...SHORT TERM MODELS INDICATE THAT ADDITIONAL SHOWER DEVELOPMENT WILL OCCUR OVER EASTERN NEBRASKA DURING THE LATER AFTERNOON...LIFTING BACK INTO OUR AREA BY EARLY EVENING. THESE SHOWERS WILL LINGER IN AREAS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90 OVERNIGHT WHERE THE BETTER MIDLEVEL THETA E ADVECTION IS LOCATED...THOUGH DIMINISHING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH DURING THE NIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW SHIFTS EASTWARD/FORCING WEAKENS/AND DRIER AIR IS PULLED SOUTHWARD. NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL BEGIN TO EASE OFF DURING THE EVENING...AND LOOKING AT LOWS MAINLY UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40. ON SUNDAY THE LOW CONTINUES TO SLOWLY PULL AWAY FROM THE AREA...WITH RAIN CHANCES CONTINUING THROUGH THE LOWER MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY INTO NORTHWEST IOWA DURING THE FIRST PART OF THE DAY...THOUGH MODELS EVEN LINGER SOME QPF THROUGH OUR FAR NORTHWESTERN IOWA ZONES INTO THE AFTERNOON. WITH SLIGHTLY MORE INSTABILITY ANY OF THIS ACTIVITY WOULD BE OF A MORE SHOWERY NATURE. THERMAL PROFILES DO WARM ON SUNDAY...AND LOOKING AT TEMPERATURES A LITTLE WARMER...TOPPING OUT IN THE MID 50S TO LOWER 60S. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 311 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 A WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL WORK ACROSS THE CWA ON SATURDAY NIGHT LEADING TOWARDS CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS. ADDED SOME PATCHY FOG OVER PARTS OF NORTHWEST IOWA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AS THE GROUND IS ALSO VERY SATURATED. LOWS DOWN IN TO THE THE MID AND UPPER 30S. MONDAY SHOULD BE A NICE DAY...POSSIBLY WAITING UNTIL LATE MORNING FOR THE SUN IF THE FOG IS MORE WIDESPREAD. LOWERED HIGHS JUST A TOUCH OVER NORTHWEST IOWA WHERE THE FOG COULD LINGER A LITTLE LONGER. BASICALLY NEAR 70 IN CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA TO 60 TO 65 IN NORTHWEST IOWA. MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY THE MODELS DIVERGE SLIGHTLY...BUT IT DOES MAKE SOME DIFFERENCE ON HIGH TEMPERATURES POTENTIAL. THE GFS IS MOST AGGRESSIVE AT WARMING AND DEVELOPING STRONGER NORTHWEST WINDS...WHILE THE NAM KEEPS THE BETTER MIXING IN THE NORTHERN CWA AND THE ECMWF IS VERY SLOW TO SET UP ACROSS THE AREA. REGARDLESS WILL BE A WARM DAY AND WILL LEAN TOWARDS THE NAM TIMING WHICH WILL KEEP SOME OF THE WARMEST HIGHS FROM HURON TO MARSHALL MINNESOTA AND THE SLIGHTLY COOLER READINGS IN NORTHWEST IOWA. IN THE OUTER PERIODS(WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)...A FAIRLY STRONG DIGGING TROUGH ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY WILL BRING STRONGER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT TO THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY...BEFORE GIVING WAY TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THIS TIME AROUND THE MODELS ARE A LITTLE FASTER IN SWINGING AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ONTO THE PLAINS SATURDAY...ALBEIT THE AMOUNT OF AGREEMENT AMONGST THE MODELS IS MARGINAL. THE ECMWF IS MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE IN BRINGING A FULL LATITUDE TROUGH THROUGH THE PLAINS THIS WEEKEND WHILE THE GFS STICKS WITH SOMETHING CLOSER TO AN OMEGA BLOCKING PATTERN WHICH WAS ALREADY IN PLACE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. FOR NOW WILL LEAN MORE CLOSELY TOWARDS THE MORE GENERAL BREAK DOWN OF THE OMEGA BLOCKING PATTERN IN THE GFS VERSUS THE MORE AGGRESSIVE PATTERN IN THE ECMWF. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1052 PM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 BAND OF RAIN CONTINUES TO WEAKEN AND WILL VERY SLOWLY SHIFT SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...LINGERING INTO MID MORNING IN PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST IOWA. MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS WILL PERSIST WITH THIS RAIN BAND...BUT WILL ALSO SEE IMPROVEMENT AS THE SYSTEM EXITS. CLEARING WILL ALSO ARRIVE FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ON SUNDAY. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JM LONG TERM...08 AVIATION...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD 457 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 IAZ001-002-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098-NEZ013-014- SDZ038>040-050-052>069-011000- LYON IA-OSCEOLA-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- 457 AM CDT SAT APR 30 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...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. IAZ003-012>014-020>022-SDZ070-071-011000- DICKINSON-SIOUX-O'BRIEN-CLAY IA-PLYMOUTH-CHEROKEE-BUENA VISTA- CLAY SD-UNION- 457 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST IOWA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT MINOR FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE LITTLE SIOUX RIVER NEAR MILFORD...SPENCER...LINN GROVE...AND CHEROKEE...AS WELL AS THE OCHEYEDAN RIVER NEAR EVERLY AND SPENCER...AND THE BIG SIOUX RIVER NEAR HAWARDEN AND AKRON. MINOR FLOODING IS ALSO EXPECTED NEAR WAKONDA ON THE VERMILLION RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MINOR FLOODING WILL PERSIST INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK ALONG PORTIONS OF THE BIG SIOUX...LITTLE SIOUX...OCHEYEDAN...AND VERMILLION RIVERS. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AVERAGING A HALF INCH TO INCH TODAY AND TONIGHT IN LOWER PORTIONS OF EACH BASIN WILL DELAY RIVER CRESTS OR SLOW RIVER LEVEL FALLS...BUT IS NOT EXPECTED TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT RIVER STAGES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor to moderate flooding because of runoff from repeated April rains continued along the Vermillion River. Agricultural land along the river and a few county roads were flooded. The river crested at 2.65 feet above flood stage at Wakonda on May 1st.
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, May 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: 638320.