A combination of snow melt and a minor ice jam produced minor flooding on Pipestone Creek. A crest at minor flood stage occurred at Pipestone (PIPM5), impacting lowland agricultural areas.
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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.
A combination of snow melt and a minor ice jam produced minor flooding on Pipestone Creek. A crest at minor flood stage occurred at Pipestone (PIPM5), impacting lowland agricultural areas.
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 Mar 20, 5:09 AM CST, 3 hours 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 609 AM CDT Tue Mar 20 2018 .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 417 AM CDT Tue Mar 20 2018 Light precipitation will be the primary concern through tonight, especially during the morning/early afternoon. Mid-upper level wave currently tracking across the eastern Dakotas, producing a broad area of light snow which has been progressing slowly east through these early morning hours. Progression has been a little slower than expected, as we continue to fight a layer of dry air advecting into our far eastern counties. Persistent weak lift should be able to overcome that by daybreak though, so will continue to carry high pops across our eastern areas through late morning, then gradually taper them off as the wave passes by this afternoon. Based on web cam images and reports thus far which indicate the light snow has had trouble accumulating, especially on non-grassy areas, so have lowered our snow-liquid ratios below 10:1 most areas. This will cut back overall snow totals to less than 2 inches across the forecast area, including daytime snow amounts from around an inch in our far eastern areas, to just a tenth or two toward the I-29 corridor after 12Z. Mid levels dry out again behind the morning wave, but we still have another subtle wave forecast to drop southeast across the eastern Dakotas tonight. NAM/Canadian producing spotty QPF with this wave, which would most likely be drizzle given the lack of saturation in that ice-producing layer. As temperatures dip back below freezing tonight, could see spotty freezing drizzle if it materializes at all. However, given the warm days and relatively mild nighttime lows, road temps have been warming well above freezing during the day and not dropping too far below freezing at night. Thus think impact of any freezing precip will be minimal, but will mention potential for light icing on untreated surfaces in the HWO. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday through Monday) Issued at 417 AM CDT Tue Mar 20 2018 Upper ridge builds into the Plains midweek, providing quiet weather and warming temperatures for Wednesday through Thursday. Expect to see temperatures warm into the upper 30s and 40s on Wednesday, with readings 4-8 degrees warmer on Thursday. A couple of systems slated to affect region late week through the upcoming weekend. The first will be a broad wave lifting northeast along the western side of the upper ridge Thursday night/Friday. Expect much of the area to see rain with this wave, with exception begin areas northeast of KBKX-KSPW line, where thermal profiles may cool enough to support some light snow late Thursday night/Friday morning. Any snowfall amounts expected to be minimal at this time. A stronger wave ejects out of the Rockies and deepens as it moves across the northern/central Plains later Friday night/Saturday. GFS/ECMWF appear similar with the timing/track of the wave at this time, but thermal profiles still differ, with GFS currently warmer than the ECMWF, which is also on the cooler side of its ensemble temperature spread. As such, still quite a bit of uncertainty in this regard, so did not deviate from broad model consensus much. Even with the cooler solutions, appears that most of our forecast would be on the warmer side with minimal snow potential. Exception again would be in southwest Minnesota and possibly Iowa Great Lakes, but far too early to determine potential snow amounts given the high degree of uncertainty. Generally unsettled pattern continues into early next week, but models are showing very little agreement in placement/timing of any key features beyond Saturday, so confidence in any rain/snow chances are low for that range. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Wednesday morning) Issued at 604 AM CDT Tue Mar 20 2018 Light snow with IFR/MVFR visibilities and ceilings will slowly taper off from west to east from mid morning into the afternoon. Stratus will then persist through tonight. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...None. MN...None. IA...None. NE...None. && SHORT TERM...JH LONG TERM...JH AVIATION...JM
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 458 AM CDT Tue Mar 20 2018 IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097- 098-NEZ013-014-SDZ039-040-054>056-061-062-066-067-070-071-211000- 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-Kingsbury-Brookings- Miner-Lake-Moody-McCook-Minnehaha-Turner-Lincoln SD-Clay SD-Union- 458 AM CDT Tue Mar 20 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northwest Iowa, west central Iowa, southwest Minnesota, northeast Nebraska, east central South Dakota, and southeast South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight An area of light snow will gradually shift east and end through the day. Any daytime accumulation should remain less than an inch. Patchy drizzle or freezing drizzle will be possible tonight, mainly in parts of east central South Dakota and southwest Minnesota. Spotty light icing will be possible on elevated and untreated surfaces. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday A chance of rain and snow will impact the region Friday into the upcoming weekend. While some areas could see accumulating snow, there is too much uncertainty in the track of this system, as well as in associated temperatures, to determine snowfall amounts at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. SDZ038-050-052-053-057>060-063>065-068-069-211000- Beadle-Gregory-Jerauld-Sanborn-Brule-Aurora-Davison-Hanson- Charles Mix-Douglas-Hutchinson-Bon Homme-Yankton- 458 AM CDT Tue Mar 20 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of 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 A chance of mainly rain will impact the region Thursday night into the upcoming weekend. While there is a lot of uncertainty in the track of this system, as well as in associated temperatures, it appears the potential for accumulating snow along and west of the James River Valley is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
823 AM CDT TUE MAR 20 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM SNOW 1 S BROOKINGS 44.29N 96.79W
03/20/2018 M2.0 INCH BROOKINGS SD COCORAHS
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
824 AM CDT TUE MAR 20 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM SNOW 1 NE WALL LAKE 43.54N 96.94W
03/20/2018 M1.7 INCH MINNEHAHA SD COCORAHS
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
826 AM CDT TUE MAR 20 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM SNOW 5 W BRUCE 44.44N 96.99W
03/20/2018 M2.0 INCH BROOKINGS SD COCORAHS
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
832 AM CDT TUE MAR 20 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 AM SNOW PIPESTONE 44.00N 96.31W
03/20/2018 M2.0 INCH PIPESTONE MN CO-OP OBSERVER
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
903 AM CDT TUE MAR 20 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 AM SNOW MARSHALL 44.45N 95.79W
03/20/2018 M2.0 INCH LYON MN CO-OP OBSERVER
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
949 AM CDT TUE MAR 20 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 AM SNOW MINNEOTA 44.56N 95.98W
03/20/2018 M2.0 INCH LYON MN PUBLIC
REPORT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
High water levels with snow melt and a minor ice jam resulted in minor flooding along Pipestone Creek. The river reached a crest of 0.3 feet above flood stage at Pipestone (gage site PIPM5) on March 20.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, March 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: 759857.