Due to heavy rainfall throughout the early to middle portions of the month, the West Fork of the Des Moines River at Humboldt went back into flood for about a week.
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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.
Due to heavy rainfall throughout the early to middle portions of the month, the West Fork of the Des Moines River at Humboldt went back into flood for about a week.
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 May 9, 11:30 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 1230 PM CDT Thu May 9 2019 .DISCUSSION.../Today through Wednesday/ Issued at 311 AM CDT Thu May 9 2019 Upper trof axis is currently passing through the state with one last shot of rain in the southeast early this morning. Otherwise, strong cold advection is underway with brisk northwest winds across the forecast area. These winds will persist for much of the day as the thermal trof moves into the state. Clouds will persist in the cyclonic flow on the backside of the system making for a rather unpleasant day as highs hold near 50 in many locations. There will be a weak system which approaches the far south this evening. However, with moisture rather limited, there is little threat for anything more than some sprinkles near the Missouri border this evening. Clearing is anticipated to spread east during the night as the surface ridge approaches western Iowa. Given the proximity of the thermal trof and clear skies, temperatures are expected to drop into the 30s in most locations. Some patchy frost seems likely although with the wind at 5 to 10 mph, widespread heavy frost seems unlikely at this point and will forgo any headlines at this point. Relatively quiet conditions are forecast on Friday into Saturday morning with the passage of the surface ridge and subsequent warm advection developing on Friday night. The next shortwave approaches later Saturday into Sunday morning. A cold front will push into the state by late Saturday afternoon with showers and a few thunderstorms. The Euro amplifies this system a bit more than the GFS and lingers the upper low longer near Iowa. The effect of this would be to prolong the precipitation chances into Sunday morning across the eastern half of Iowa and make for a cooler, cloudy day. The blends have captured some of this potential and will continue to monitor for a better agreement in subsequent runs. The next threat of precipitation will be towards the later half of Tuesday as the next system approaches from the northwest. Both GFS and Euro indicate strong warm advection from Monday night into Tuesday as modest moisture returns. There will be the threat of a few showers and storms later Tuesday into Tuesday night as a weak boundary moves into the state. At this point, the bulk of the forcing and lift will be north of Iowa along with the best threat of precipitation. && .AVIATION.../For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday afternoon/ Issued at 1221 PM CDT Thu May 9 2019 Widespread MVFR cigs this afternoon before a transition to VFR overnight. Breezy to gusty north/northwest winds today will diminish overnight as well. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && DISCUSSION...Cogil AVIATION...Donavon
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Des Moines IA 344 AM CDT Thu May 9 2019 IAZ005>007-015>017-023-025>028-033>039-044>050-057>062-070>075- 081>086-092>097-101100- Kossuth-Winnebago-Worth-Palo Alto-Hancock-Cerro Gordo-Pocahontas- 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-Taylor-Ringgold-Decatur-Wayne-Appanoose-Davis- 344 AM CDT Thu May 9 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Isolated thunderstorms are possible on Saturday but the severe weather is not expected. Additional thunderstorms are possible late Tuesday into Tuesday night. The threat of severe weather is low with these storms as well. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. IAZ004-024-101100- Emmet-Humboldt- 344 AM CDT Thu May 9 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Iowa. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight River Flood Warnings are in effect for upper portions of the Des Moines River basin. Please refer to the National Weather Service website at weather.gov/desmoines for further details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Isolated thunderstorms are possible on Saturday but the severe weather is not expected. Additional thunderstorms are possible late Tuesday into Tuesday night. The threat of severe weather is low with these storms as well. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
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 Humboldt crested at 10.49 feet on 11 May 2019 at 00:45 UTC.
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: 822547.