The West Fork of the Des Moines River at Estherville remained in flood from the previous month through much of the beginning of April, finally going back below flood stage on the 9th of April.
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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 DMX wrote it up.
The West Fork of the Des Moines River at Estherville remained in flood from the previous month through much of the beginning of April, finally going back below flood stage on the 9th of April.
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 Des Moines, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 10:36 PM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 1136 PM CDT Sat Mar 31 2018 .SHORT TERM.../Tonight through Sunday/ Issued at 332 PM CDT Sat Mar 31 2018 Cold front has pushed through the state with much colder air moving in behind the front. Gusty northwest winds slightly diminishing enough to fall below advisory criteria, thus will let that expire at 4pm. Otherwise as high pressure builds in quickly across the state should see winds lose their gustiness overnight. Stratus has become more cellular through the afternoon and should begin to break up further and diminish into this evening. Therefore expect temps to fall off decently overnight with min temps into the teens north and low 20s south. Increasing clouds late tonight into Sunday across the southern half of the state associated with a shortwave expected to push through NE/southern IA/northern MO late tonight into Sunday. This will also bring a quick shot of snow to far southwest/south central Iowa mainly Sunday morning into the afternoon hours. Bulk of the system will impact SE NE/northern MO, but should get enough snow in the far southwest to top out around 2-3 inches toward the MO border. This is marginal advisory criteria, and since neighbors have one out have opted to match up and put Taylor and Ringgold Counties into an advisory from 12z through 21z Sunday. Otherwise remainder of the north should just mainly be slightly breezy and cold Sunday. .LONG TERM.../Sunday night through Saturday/ Issued at 332 PM CDT Sat Mar 31 2018 Monday through Saturday Mid/long range continues to be active with another stronger system impacting the state from late Monday through Tuesday. This upper wave continues to dig some as it drops southeastward through the central US late Monday night and moves into the Ohio Valley by early Wednesday. The associated surface low to track across northern KS Monday night, through northern MO early Tuesday and into northern IL by early Tuesday evening. This will keep Iowa on the cool side of this system and swing chances for widespread precipitation late Monday night into early Tuesday across Iowa. A secondary wave digs into the backside of the system, dropping through Iowa Tuesday which will bring another lobe of precipitation through later Tuesday into Tuesday evening. Initially could expect rain across the state late Monday, then becoming freezing rain or snow across the far north into Monday night. Precipitation should then change to all snow in the north by sunrise Tuesday with snow chances spreading southeast through the state Tuesday afternoon into evening as colder air moves in with the secondary trough dropping through the state. Currently could see some accumulating snowfall along and north of a Denison to Fort Dodge to Iowa Falls line, with the highest snow amounts expected near the MN border. With temperatures hovering near freezing though and track uncertainties, could still see some adjustments to snow amounts, etc. Currently have moderate snow accumulations around 3 to 4 inches with locally higher amounts in the far north. Temperatures to remain chilly into late week especially into Friday with another very strong cold front expected to drop through the state. Could see some precipitation again with this system and very cold air moving into Iowa. Temperatures Friday may only top out in the upper 20s to mid 30s in spots across northern and central Iowa with 30s to around 40 for Saturday. Currently if this trend continues temperatures for next weekend may even be a bit warm. Overall then a cooler period expected through the entire extended with many chances for wintry precipitation. && .AVIATION.../For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Sunday night/ Issued at 1136 PM CDT Sat Mar 31 2018 An upper level disturbance will pass to the S of the TAF locations. The main impact will be VFR cigs to TAF locations. Snow is expected over far southern Iowa and if this upper level disturbance does pass further north than MVFR cigs may brush KOTM. Confidence is low that this will happen. Surface wind will become W with the passage of the upper level disturbance. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 7 AM to 4 PM CDT Sunday for IAZ092- 093. && SHORT TERM...Beerends LONG TERM...Beerends AVIATION...FAB
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Des Moines IA 330 PM CDT Sat Mar 31 2018 IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-094>097-011100- Emmet-Kossuth-Winnebago-Worth-Palo Alto-Hancock-Cerro Gordo- Pocahontas-Humboldt-Wright-Franklin-Butler-Bremer-Sac-Calhoun- Webster-Hamilton-Hardin-Grundy-Black Hawk-Crawford-Carroll-Greene- Boone-Story-Marshall-Tama-Audubon-Guthrie-Dallas-Polk-Jasper- Poweshiek-Cass-Adair-Madison-Warren-Marion-Mahaska-Adams-Union- Clarke-Lucas-Monroe-Wapello-Decatur-Wayne-Appanoose-Davis- 330 PM CDT Sat Mar 31 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Winter weather returns Monday night and Tuesday. Accumulating snowfall is possible, especially north of Highway 30. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters will not be needed at this time. IAZ092-093-011100- Taylor-Ringgold- 330 PM CDT Sat Mar 31 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Accumulating snow is expected Sunday and a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect during the day. Please refer to the National Weather Service website at weather.gov/desmoines for further details on the Winter Weather Advisory. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters will not be needed at this time, however snowfall reports would be appreciated.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The West Fork of the Des Moines River at Estherville crested at 8.96 feet on 4 April 2018 at 1:00 UTC.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, April 2018
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: 751718.