Runoff from significant early spring precipitation during late March and early April resulted in several flooded rivers. Much of the area experienced as much as 2 to 3 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation through April 14.
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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 significant early spring precipitation during late March and early April resulted in several flooded rivers. Much of the area experienced as much as 2 to 3 inches of liquid equivalent precipitation through April 14.
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 6, 5:11 AM CST, 5 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 611 AM CDT Sat Apr 6 2019 .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 403 AM CDT Sat Apr 6 2019 Showers and embedded thunderstorms continue to drift eastward very early this morning, these driven by a shortwave sliding across the region and a veering low level jet oriented from eastern NE into the southeastern portions of our CWA. This activity will continue to slide to the east through the early morning hours as the shortwave tracks into central MN, and the jet continues to veer and weaken. After mid morning, activity should be pretty limited for much of the remainder of the day. Warm air advection will continue across the region today, and while the potential is there for overall warmer temperatures, highs will be dependent on cloud cover. Model rh time sections indicate the best potential for clouds breaking to be in the south, and forecasting highs into the lower 70s through the MO River Valley. Back to the north and east, mid 60s looks reasonable. Will again see an increase in showers and thunderstorms by this evening as another shortwave lifts through eastern NE into IA overnight and a frontal boundary begins to push in from the west. Just like this past night, there will be weak instability across the area, so embedded thunderstorms will again be likely. Precipitation amounts through Sunday morning will average from around a 0.10" to 0.20", with locally higher amounts in a thunderstorm. It will be another mild night with lows in the upper 40s to lower 50s. .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Friday) Issued at 403 AM CDT Sat Apr 6 2019 Any showers/thunderstorms will exit the area by Sunday afternoon as the aforementioned boundary sweeps through the region. This will lead to a relatively quiet period for the beginning of the week, with Monday being the warm day of the week with most places seeing highs in the 70s that day. A frontal boundary slides through the area later on Monday, dropping temperatures back into the 50s and 60s for Tuesday. Attention then turns to the potentially impactful mid week system. Confidence remains low, with models continuing to exhibit differences in the track of the system, resulting in differences in thermal profiles and QPF for our area - thus precipitation type and amounts are still uncertain. Will continue to refine the details over the next few days. At this point, the main theme for Wednesday into Thursday will be for cooler temperatures and the potential for rather significant precipitation during that period - whether it be rain or snow. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Sunday morning) Issued at 606 AM CDT Sat Apr 6 2019 Showers and isolated thunderstorms will move out of the area early this morning, with periods of MVFR stratus affecting KFSD and KSUX through the morning. Ceilings are expected to improve in the afternoon. Showers and isolated thunderstorms will redevelop tonight. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JM LONG TERM...JM AVIATION...JM
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 428 AM CDT Sat Apr 6 2019 IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097- 098-NEZ013-014-SDZ038>040-050-052>071-070930- Lyon-Osceola-Dickinson-Sioux-O'Brien-Clay-Plymouth-Cherokee- Buena Vista-Woodbury-Ida-Lincoln-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-Bon Homme- Yankton-Union- 428 AM CDT Sat Apr 6 2019 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 Showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected to redevelop across the area this evening and continue tonight. Strong storms are not expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday A significant weather system could bring rain and snow to the region by the middle of next week. Confidence remains low on details with the system. Continue to monitor the forecast as this time frame approaches. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April returned significant flooding of agricultural lands. The Little Sioux River at Spencer (gage site SPWI4) crested at 2.08 feet above flood stage on April 13. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month.
Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April returned flooding to agricultural lands near the Ocheyedan River. The Ocheyedan River near Spencer (gage site SPOI4) crested twice during the period. The first crest was 0.29 feet above flood stage on April 8. After a brief period below flood stage from later April 8 through April 11, a second crest occurred on April 12 at 0.74 feet above flood stage.
Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April returned significant flooding of agricultural lands. The Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) crested twice during the period. The first crest was 1.45 feet above flood stage on April 12. After a brief period below flood stage from April 24-27, a second crest occurred on April 30 at 1.36 feet above flood stage. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month.
Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April returned significant flooding of agricultural lands. The Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) crested twice during the period. The first crest was 1.45 feet above flood stage on April 12. After a brief period below flood stage from April 24-27, a second crest occurred on April 30 at 1.36 feet above flood stage. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month.
Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April returned significant flooding of agricultural lands. The Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) crested twice during the period. The first crest was 0.77 feet above flood stage on April 14. After a brief period below flood stage from April 23-29, a second crest occurred on April 30 at 0.17 feet above flood stage. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month.
Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April returned significant flooding of agricultural lands. The Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) crested twice during the period. The first crest was 0.77 feet above flood stage on April 14. After a brief period below flood stage from April 23-29, a second crest occurred on April 30 at 0.17 feet above flood stage. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month.
Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April returned significant flooding of agricultural lands. The Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) crested twice during the period. The first crest was 0.77 feet above flood stage on April 14. After a brief period below flood stage from April 23-29, a second crest occurred on April 30 at 0.17 feet above flood stage. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month.
Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April briefly returned significant flooding of agricultural lands near the Rock River. The Rock River at Rock Rapids (gage site RAPI4) crested twice during the period. The first crest was 1.60 feet above flood stage on April 8, with the second occurring on April 17 at 0.75 feet above flood stage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, April 2019
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: 833471, 833467, 833468, 833470, 833473, 833474, 833475, 833414.