Parts of central Wisconsin were covered with 4 to 6 inches of snow over the first part of March. As this snow melted, the runoff increased flows on rivers and streams and produced some minor flooding along the Yellow River in Juneau County.
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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.
Parts of central Wisconsin were covered with 4 to 6 inches of snow over the first part of March. As this snow melted, the runoff increased flows on rivers and streams and produced some minor flooding along the Yellow River in Juneau 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 Mar 11, 5:34 PM CST, 4 hours 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 534 PM CST FRI MAR 11 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 238 PM CST FRI MAR 11 2016 MAIN FCST CONCERNS THIS PERIOD...RAIN CHANCES SPREADING NORTH INTO/ ACROSS THE AREA SAT AFTERNOON/NIGHT...TEMPERATURES THRU THE PERIOD. 18Z DATA ANALYSIS HAD HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER LOWER MI WITH RIDGING SOUTHWEST INTO KS. TIGHTER GRADIENT ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE HIGH WAS MOVING EAST ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST...WITH SOUTH WINDS 10- 20 MPH QUITE COMMON ACROSS MN/IA/WI AT MID-DAY. THESE WINDS AND SOUTHWEST 925-850MB WINDS PULLING A WARMER AIRMASS NORTH/EAST INTO THE REGION. WITH ABUNDANT SUNSHINE OVER ALL BUT A PORTION OF NORTHEAST WI...MID DAY TEMPS ACROSS MUCH OF MN/IA/WI WERE IN THE MID 50S TO MID 60S...SOME 15 TO 25 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. NO MAJOR ISSUES NOTED WITH 11.12Z MODEL INITIALIZATIONS. MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT AS TX MID LEVEL LOW LIFTS NORTH-NORTHEAST AND WEAKENS TONIGHT/SAT...BEING PUSHED BY A STRONGER SHORTWAVE CROSSING THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES. EVEN WITH FALLING HGTS TONIGHT/SAT A MID LEVEL RIDGE AXIS REMAINS OVER WI/MN. TIGHTENING MODEL CONSENSUS AS HGTS CONTINUE TO FALL OVER THE REGION SAT NIGHT AND THE TX SHORTWAVE ENERGY LIFTS INTO THE MID MS VALLEY...WITH THE MID LEVEL RIDGE LIFTING NORTH OF THE REGION. TREND IS A BIT SLOWER/FURTHER EAST WITH THE TX LOW REMNANTS INTO THE MID MS VALLEY AT 12Z SUN. GIVEN A TIGHTENING MODEL CONSENSUS...SHORT-TERM FCST CONFIDENCE REMAINS GOOD THIS CYCLE. FOR THE SHORT TERM...SFC RIDGE AXIS CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST OF THE REGION TONIGHT. GRADIENT RELAXES A BIT TONIGHT BUT LOOKS TO RESULT IN SOUTH-SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 5-10KTS ACROSS THE FCST AREA TONIGHT. THIS TO KEEP BOUNDARY LAYER STIRRED TONIGHT AND LOWS AS MUCH AS 10F TO 15F WARMER THAN THOSE OF THIS MORNING. DIURNAL WARMING/MIXING SHOULD LOWER DEW POINTS SOME THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL. GIVEN ALL THIS...NOT EXPECTING A REPEAT WIDESPREAD VALLEY FOG EPISODE LATE TONIGHT/EARLY SAT MORNING. MAY STILL BE SOME PATCHY FOG IN THE LOWER WI RIVER VALLEY AND LOW LAYING AREAS ALONG/NORTHEAST OF I-94. SLOWING TREND OF THE TX LOW ENERGY INTO MID MS VALLEY AND THE MID LEVEL RIDGING HANGING TOUGH OVER THE REGION SAT FURTHER DELAYS THE NORTHWARD PUSH OF DEEPER MOISTURE AND RAIN CHANCES INTO THE AREA SAT AFTERNOON. CIRRUS TO STILL INCREASE/THICKEN NORTHWARD OVER THE FCST AREA SAT...BUT RAIN CHANCES NOW APPEAR LIMITED TO THE SOUTHWEST 1/3 OF THE FCST AREA AFTER 21Z AND TRENDED GRIDS AS SUCH. MAIN PUSH OF LOW/MID LEVEL THERMO-DYNAMIC FORCING MOVING NORTHWARD ACROSS THE FCST AREA LATE SAT AFTERNOON/SAT NIGHT NOW LOOKS TO MAINLY WORK TO SATURATE THE INITIALLY RATHER DRY SFC-500MB PORTION OF THE COLUMN BEFORE ANY -RA WOULD OCCUR. REDUCED -RA CHANCES SAT EVENING TO 20-50 PERCENT. REDUCED LATE SAT NIGHT CHANCES TO MOSTLY 45-60 PERCENT WITH WEAKER LIFT NOW INDICATED OVER THE AREA. USED A BLEND OF THE GUIDANCE HIGHS/LOWS FOR TONIGHT THRU SAT NIGHT. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 238 PM CST FRI MAR 11 2016 FOR SUNDAY THRU MONDAY NIGHT... MAIN FCST CONCERNS THIS PERIOD...RAIN CHANCES THRU MON MORNING... RETURNING RAIN CHANCES LATE MON NIGHT...MILD TEMPERATURES. 11.12Z MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT SUNDAY...NOW PASSING THE REMNANT TX MID LOW SHORTWAVE ENERGY MORE EAST/SOUTH OF THE FCST AREA WHILE THE SOUTHERN STREAM MID LEVEL LOW BEHIND IT TRACKS ACROSS THE LOWER MS VALLEY. CONSENSUS NOT AS TIGHT BY SUN NIGHT/MON...BUT TREND IS FOR LESS TROUGHING OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST THESE PERIODS. SIGNAL FOR RISING HGTS/WEAK SHORTWAVE RIDGING TO BUILD QUICKLY ACROSS MON AFTERNOON/EVENING...AHEAD OF THE NEXT STRONG TROUGH CROSSING THE CENTRAL/NORTHERN PLAINS MON NIGHT. CONSENSUS OF LATEST MODELS IS FASTER WITH THIS TROUGHING/ENERGY INTO THE WEST SIDE OF THE REGION BY LATE MON NIGHT. FCST CONFIDENCE THIS PERIOD IS AVERAGE TO GOOD THIS CYCLE. WITH A MORE SOUTH/EAST TRACK OF THE REMNANT TX MID LEVEL LOW SHORT WAVE ENERGY...LESS FORCING/LIFT INDICATED OVER THE AREA SUN/SUN NIGHT. PW VALUES OVER THE FCST AREA THESE PERIODS STILL PROGGED TO BE IN THE 0.75 TO 1.25 INCH RANGE. WITH THIS PLENTIFUL MOISTURE... SOME 300-400 PERCENT OF NORMAL FOR MID MARCH...AND RATHER DEEP CYCLONIC FLOW OVER THE REGION...LEFT RAIN CHANCES SUN/SUN NIGHT MOSTLY IN THE 40-60 PERCENT RANGE. NO CAPE INDICATED OVER THE AREA WELL WEST/NORTH OF THE SFC LOW TRACK...SO LEFT -TSRA MENTION OUT OF THESE PERIODS AS WELL. PLENTY OF CLOUDS OVER THE AREA AND AREAS OF -RA/SCT -SHRA WILL HOLD HIGHS DOWN SUN AND HOLD LOWS UP SUN NIGHT. MOISTURE DECREASES MONDAY AS WEAK SFC-500MB RIDGING WOULD BUILD EAST ACROSS THE REGION. SOME SIGNAL FOR WEAK DEFORMATION BAND FORCING/ LIFT TO SLIDE ACROSS THE FCST AREA MONDAY...AND LEFT A SMALL -SHRA CHANCE IN THE FCST GRIDS MON MORNING AND MAINLY EAST OF THE MS RIVER MON AFTERNOON. FASTER EASTWARD TRACK OF THE NEXT SHORTWAVE/TROUGH ACROSS THE PLAINS QUICKLY SPREADS INCREASING MOISTURE/LIFT BACK INTO THE FCST AREA LATER MON NIGHT. PLENTY OF DETAIL DIFFERENCES BY MON NIGHT AND HOW FAST/FAR EAST ANY -SHRA CHANCES WOULD SPREAD. AT THIS TIME STAYED WITH THE SMALL MODEL/ENSEMBLE CONSENSUS PRECIP CHANCES MON NIGHT. MIXED SIGNALS ON THE POTENTIAL FOR CAPE TO MOVE INTO THE AREA AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM LATE MON NIGHT. DEPENDING ON WHICH MODELS DETAILS MAY BE MORE CORRECT...MAY YET NEED AN ISOLATED -TSRA MENTION LATE MON NIGHT INTO TUE BUT LEFT THIS MENTION OUT FOR NOW. TRENDED TOWARD COOLER OF GUIDANCE HIGHS SUNDAY...WARMER OF GUIDANCE LOWS SUN NIGHT...THEN FAVORED A BLEND OF THE GUIDANCE HIGHS/LOWS MON/MON NIGHT. FOR TUESDAY THRU FRIDAY...DAYS 4 TO 7... MAIN FCST CONCERNS THIS PERIOD...PRECIP CHANCES MAINLY TUE/TUE NIGHT/ WED...MILD TEMPS TUE...COOLING BACK TO NEAR NORMAL BY THU/FRI. CONSENSUS IMPROVING AMONG MEDIUM RANGE MODEL RUNS OF 11.00Z/11.12Z FOR A STRONG SHORTWAVE THROUGH TO COME ACROSS THE PLAINS AND DEEPEN INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST TUE. DIFFERENCES THEN INCREASE BY WED ON THE EVOLUTION/LOCATION OF THE RESULTING MID LEVEL LOW SOMEWHERE NEAR THE GREAT LAKES. RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY BY WED DROPS AS WELL. LOOSE CONSENSUS BY THU FOR THE MID LEVEL LOW TO BE EAST OF THE REGION WITH A COLDER NORTH/NORTHWEST FLOW SPILLING IN...WITH THIS FLOW TO CONTINUE INTO FRI. FCST CONFIDENCE IMPROVING FOR TUE BUT THEN WITH THE MODEL DIFFERENCES AND LESSER RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY CONFIDENCE AT LEAST ON THE DETAILS IS BELOW AVERAGE WED THRU FRI. STRENGTHENING TROUGH THAT WOULD MOVE INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST TUE DEEPENS A SFC LOW OVER THE MID MS VALLEY/WESTERN GREAT LAKES...WITH THIS LOW MOVING EAST OF WI TUE NIGHT/WED MORNING. PLENTY OF DEEP LAYERED FORCING/LIFT WOULD SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF/WITH THE SFC-MID LEVEL LOW TUE INTO TUE NIGHT...WITH PW VALUES IN THE 0.75 TO 1 INCH RANGE. AGAIN...PLENTY OF LOWER LEVEL DETAIL DIFFERENCES BY TUE NIGHT/WED ON TIMING/TRACK OF ESPECIALLY LOWER LEVEL FEATURES. CONSENSUS 50-60 PERCENT SHRA CHANCES CENTERED ON TUE NIGHT GOOD FOR NOW. COLUMN REMAINS WARM ENOUGH THRU WED FOR ANY PRECIP TO BE RA/SHRA. POTENTIAL FOR SOME WEAK CAPE OVER THE AREA TUE AHEAD OF THE MAIN TROUGH...BUT NOT A CONSISTENT SIGNAL AMONG MODELS FOR THIS YET AND WILL LEAVE TSRA MENTION OUT OF TUE GRIDS FOR NOW. IF CONSENSUS TIGHTENS ON THE PRESENT TREND MAY YET NEED AN ISOLATED TSRA MENTION SFC-MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS MOVES EAST OF THE REGION WED...WITH NORTHWEST FLOW AND LOW LEVEL COLD ADVECTION TAKING OVER FOR WED INTO FRI. 850MB TEMPS BACK TO NEAR NORMAL...PERHAPS EVEN BELOW NORMAL BY THU NIGHT/FRI. CONFIDENCE BETTER FOR COOLING TEMPS WED-FRI THAN WED-FRI PRECIP CHANCES. SOME SIGNAL FOR A DEFORMATION BAND OF FORCING/ PRECIP TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM WED NIGHT INTO THU. COLUMN WOULD COOL ENOUGH THAT ANY PRECIP LATE WED NIGHT/THU MORNING COULD BE SNOW. CONSENSUS 20-40 PERCENT -RA/-SN CHANCES /HIGHEST NORTH/ THESE PERIODS OKAY FOR NOW. COLDER CYCLONIC FLOW AND DETAIL UNCERTAINTIES...SMALL -RA/-SN CHANCES THU NIGHT/FRI OKAY AS WELL. MODEL/ENSEMBLE CONSENSUS OF HIGHS/LOWS FOR TUE-FRI LOOK WELL TRENDED AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 534 PM CST FRI MAR 11 2016 ANOTHER CLEAR NIGHT ON TAP FOR KRST/KLSE. WHILE CLEAR SKIES/LIGHT WIND GAVE WAY TO DENSE RIVER VALLEY FOG AT KLSE EARLY THIS MORNING... TONIGHT IS EXPECTED TO BE FOG FREE AT BOTH TAF SITES. SURFACE WINDS WILL BE FROM THE SOUTH AROUND 10 TO 14 KTS...BUT EXPECT EVEN STRONGER WINDS FROM 15 TO 25 KTS RIGHT OFF THE SURFACE WITHIN NOCTURNAL INVERSION LAYER. THESE STRONGER WINDS AND DRY COLUMN SHOULD PRECLUDE ANY FOG FORMATION. SATURDAY THROUGH 13.00Z WILL SEE SLOWLY INCREASING CIRRUS AHEAD OF THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND PERSISTENT LIGHT SOUTHERLY WINDS. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT TERM...RRS LONG TERM....RRS AVIATION...ROGERS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 243 PM CST FRI MAR 11 2016 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029- 032>034-041>044-053>055-061-121200- MITCHELL-HOWARD-WINNESHIEK-ALLAMAKEE-FLOYD-CHICKASAW-FAYETTE- CLAYTON-WABASHA-DODGE-OLMSTED-WINONA-MOWER-FILLMORE-HOUSTON- TAYLOR-CLARK-BUFFALO-TREMPEALEAU-JACKSON-LA CROSSE-MONROE-JUNEAU- ADAMS-VERNON-CRAWFORD-RICHLAND-GRANT- 243 PM CST FRI MAR 11 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...AND CENTRAL INTO SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. LAWRENCE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Runoff from melting snow pushed the Yellow River out of its banks in Necedah. The river crested at 15.7 feet, almost three-quarters of a foot above the flood stage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, March 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: 623532.