With water levels still high from the spring snowmelt flooding, another round of flooding occurred on the Mississippi River in late May from runoff after a couple of rainfall events. The flooding continued into June.
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 ARX wrote it up.
With water levels still high from the spring snowmelt flooding, another round of flooding occurred on the Mississippi River in late May from runoff after a couple of rainfall events. The flooding continued into June.
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 May 22, 5:05 PM CST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service La Crosse WI 605 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Thursday) Issued at 252 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019 Latest 19z surface analysis shows low over Minnesota and South Dakota border. With tight pressure gradient and winds mixing down aloft out ahead of the low pressure system has produced windy conditions across the area. Latest metars over southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa are indicating wind gusting up to 30 to around 40 knots with wind speeds 20 to 25 knots. Tonight into Thursday...upper level/surface low lifts north into southern Ontario Canada and the Upper Great Lakes Region tonight. Then...upper level/surface ridge builds into the Northern Plain states Thursday. Due to daytime loss of heating and gradient slackening over the area this evening...winds will diminish across the area this evening and tonight. The 22.12z GFS/NAM suggest stratocumulus deck of clouds advect into the northern half of the forecast area Thursday morning...with ridging building over the area...these clouds will erode late morning to early afternoon. With partly to mostly sunny skies by afternoon across much of the forecast area...high temperatures are expected to rise into the lower 60s to middle 70s. .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Wednesday) Issued at 252 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019 For Thu night thru Sat night: main fcst concerns this period are SHRA/TSRA chances Thu night/Fri and potential rain amounts. Model runs of 22.12z in good agreement for the shortwave ridging aloft from Thu to be rather transient. This as the mid level low over the Rockies lifts into the northern plains as a strong piece of shortwave energy rotates around its east side Thu night, then toward Man/western Ont Fri. Overall trend is a bit slower than the earlier runs with these features Thu night/Fri. Good agreement for the trough to continue filling/weakening as it passes north of Lk Superior Fri night with rising hgts/westerly flow over the region Sat/Sat night. Thu night thru Sat night fcst confidence is generally good this cycle. Slowing trend of the models Thu night/Fri delays the arrival of the deeper moisture/saturation and lift into the overnight hours of Thu night, with Thu evening continuing to trend dry across most if not all of the fcst area. PW values of 1.25 to 1.5 inches (around 2 std deviations above normal - NAEFS) progged to spread across the area late Thu night/Fri morning as deeper layered forcing/lift and some MUCAPE spreads in as well. Most if not all models spreading some SHRA/TSRA NE into/across the fcst area later Thu night/Fri morning, just differing on the details of where the stronger, more persistent convection may be during the period. Consensus rain chances in the 50- 80% range spreading NE across the fcst area later Thu night/Fri are reasonable. See hydro section below for the rain/QPF details. Models hold the moisture plume over the SE side of the fcst area late Fri/Fri evening. This as hgts aloft would be falling, the sfc front would be approaching and some sfc-700mb thermo-dynamic forcing continues. Models differ on the NW extent of convection Fri afternoon/evening, with GFS further NW than the others. If GFS is more correct, SWODY3 may have to be shifted to the NW as CAPE/shear over the SE side of the fcst area may well support a few strong/ severe storms a few hours either side of 00z Sat. Consensus is for the sfc front to be south of the area Sat/Sat night with quiet westerly flow aloft and weak high pressure building in. GFS again slower with front and brings a weak impulse or 2 thru the flow for Sat and would spread precip chances across the south half of the fcst area. Some small consensus SHRA/TSRA chances across NE IA/far SW WI Sat afternoon/evening OK until the details sort themselves out. Blend of guidance highs closer to normal Fri then even above normal for Sat appear well trended for now. For Sunday thru Wednesday (days 4 to 7): main fcst concerns this period are SHRA/TSRA chances Mon thru Wed and potential rain amounts. Medium range model runs of 22.00z/22.12z in reasonable agreement for one shortwave trough to pass north of Lk Superior Sun/Sun night while troughing/a mid level low deepen over the southwest CONUS. Detail difference increase for Mon/Wed but overall trend is for the southwest CONUS troughing to lift NE into/across the central CONUS Mon into Wed, potentially phasing with northern stream energy over the mid/upper MS valley by mid-week. Day 4-7 fcst confidence is generally average this cycle. Area to be between systems Sun, one north and one well west. Sunday trends quiet under westerly flow aloft and weak sfc high pressure drifting across the region. By Mon (Memorial Day) lead energy out of the western CONUS troughing develops low pressure into the central plains with increasing lower level moisture/lift ahead of it quickly spreading NE into the Upper Midwest and SHRA/TSRA chances back in the fcst already by Sun night. This wave/energy to pass Mon, with the main portion of the trough, sfc low and its SHRA/TSRA chances to lift toward/across the region Mon night/Tue. Potential phasing of this troughing and northern stream energy dropping out of CAN would drive a stronger cold front across the region Wed, for continued SHRA/TSRA chances. Blend of the guidance highs near the late May normals for Sun, then below normal with more clouds and the SHRA/TSRA chances Mon-Wed reasonable at this time. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Thursday evening) Issued at 605 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019 An area of low pressure was located over west-central Minnesota late this afternoon. This low is expected to move northeast across Lake Superior through Thursday morning and then off into southern Ontario. This will help to maintain a tight pressure gradient over the area that will keep the winds above 10 knots with the direction veering around to the west. Some gusts will occur again at KRST Thursday but the speeds should only be to around 20 knots or so. MVFR clouds on the back side of the surface low are expected to briefly spread over both airports late tonight into Thursday morning but should lift out of the region by late Thursday morning. && .HYDROLOGY...(Thursday night/Friday) Issued at 252 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019 Area shaping up to get another round of 1/2 to 1 inch of rain Thu night/Fri. This on top of soils already wet/saturated from the recent rains of Sat night/Sun and Tue night, with potential for this round of rain to produce more runoff and rises on area streams and rivers. Models at odds on where the heaviest rains may fall, some north of I-90, some south, but with PW values progged into the 1.25 to 1.5 inch range, potential is certainly there for any TSRA to be efficient rain makers. Will issue an ESF for the more widespread rains and river rise threat late in the week into the weekend. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. MN...None. IA...None. && SHORT TERM...DTJ LONG TERM....RRS AVIATION...04 HYDROLOGY....RRS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service La Crosse WI 442 AM CDT Wed May 22 2019 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ032>034- 041>044-053>055-061-231000- Mitchell-Howard-Winneshiek-Allamakee-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette- Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona-Mower-Fillmore-Houston- Buffalo-Trempealeau-Jackson-La Crosse-Monroe-Juneau-Adams-Vernon- Crawford-Richland-Grant- 442 AM CDT Wed May 22 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southeast Minnesota...northeast Iowa and southwest into central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Another windy day with afternoon gusts from 30 to 40 mph, highest in the open and unsheltered areas of southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday There are periodic storm chances into next week, with the highest chances Thursday night into Friday. It is too early to determine if there would be a severe risk. Recent and expected rains will result in rises on area rivers and streams. Renewed flooding will occur along portions of the Mississippi River. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... No action needed. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled. WIZ017-029-231000- Taylor-Clark- 442 AM CDT Wed May 22 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north-central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight There are small thunderstorm chances this afternoon. If they develop, a few could be strong with small hail and enhanced wind gusts. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday There are periodic storm chances into next week, with the highest chances Thursday night into Friday. It is too early to determine if there would be a severe risk. Recent and expected rains will result in rises on area rivers and streams. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... No action needed. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Runoff after a couple of rainfall events pushed the Mississippi River out of its banks again in McGregor. The river crested over three feet above the flood stage at 19.09 feet on May 30th. The flooding continued into June.
Runoff after a couple of rainfall events pushed the Mississippi River out of its banks again in Guttenberg. The river crested around two and a half feet above the flood stage at 17.56 feet on May 31st. The flooding continued into June.
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, May 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: 827458, 827459.