A widespread rainfall of 1 to 3 inches between May 21 and May 27 led to significant rises on most rivers. This worsened flooding across existing flooded areas and expanded flooding to additional 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 widespread rainfall of 1 to 3 inches between May 21 and May 27 led to significant rises on most rivers. This worsened flooding across existing flooded areas and expanded flooding to additional 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 May 27, 5:48 AM CST, 3 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 648 AM CDT Mon May 27 2019 .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 424 AM CDT Mon May 27 2019 The band of showers and thunderstorms that lifted across the area overnight are now diminishing and exiting over the northern portions of the CWA very early this morning. Precipitation amounts have remained in check overnight, with localized 3-6 hr amounts of just over an inch - focused mainly just south of Interstate 90 through southeastern SD and northwestern IA. Current radar showing a secondary broad area of showers and thunderstorms lifting through eastern NE, and this activity is expected to overspread the eastern portions of our CWA during the morning hours. With increasing lift provided by an upper level shortwave drifting northeastward out of central NE, there will again be the potential for heavy rain - possibly exceeding 1" in some locales - focused primarily over the northeastern quarter of our CWA. This will coincide with the WPC Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall. Contemplated a Flash Flood Watch for portions of the area, though with the expectation that rainfall totals are based on a several hour event, as opposed to intense instantaneous rainfall rates, elected not to. That being said, cannot rule out localized ponding of water and relatively minor street flooding in poor drainage areas during the morning hours. It will be something to keep an eye on as the activity evolves however. By afternoon, the trend will be for drying as better upper level support is lost as the aforementioned shortwave tracks off into MN. Hi-res CAMs actually suggest little additional precipitation for the remainder of the afternoon/evening, and with the well advertised warm front remaining well to our south, the threat for afternoon severe convection looks pretty limited - which coincides with SPC downgrading the threat to only Marginal for our far southern CWA. Models would suggest that much of tonight will be dry, with surface ridging actually building southward into the area. By later tonight, convection is expected to develop through NE - closer to the surface low/warm front, and some of this activity may drift into the southern portions of our CWA overnight. Would not expect any severe storms with the better instability well to our south. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Sunday) Issued at 424 AM CDT Mon May 27 2019 A better chance of shower and thunderstorm activity - along with moderate to heavy rain - will occur on Tuesday afternoon and night as the low pressure and attendant warm front over NE begins to drift to the east with upper level support provided by an increasing upper level jet. While there remains a severe threat with this activity, the model trend has been for the warm front to stay to our south - and SPC has again downgraded the threat over our area from Enhanced to Slight for our far southeastern IA zones. Again, this will be dependent on where the low eventually tracks, so it will be something to keep an eye on. An upper level low will then track across the region for Wednesday into Thursday, keeping small chances of showers for our area through that time period. The remainder of the week into the weekend looks to be a drier period with a less amplified upper level pattern evolving across the central CONUS. Temperatures for the end of the week will hover just either side of normal, with high in the 70s and lows in the 50s. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Tuesday morning) Issued at 648 AM CDT Mon May 27 2019 Compact upper level wave lifting northeast across eastern NE at 11z and will rapidly lift through the area by mid to late morning. Surface wave will pass impossibly close to KSUX, so wind directions likely to pass through about 270 degrees of the compass over the next 2-4 hours. Wide mix of VFR, MVFR and locally IFR conditions exist in the rain band wrapping from the warm advective wing to almost trowally signature behind the system. Overall, should trend toward a more solid MVFR height which will persist through the upcoming TAF period. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JM LONG TERM...JM AVIATION...Chapman
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 547 AM CDT Mon May 27 2019 IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097- 098-NEZ013-014-SDZ040-055-056-062-066-067-069>071-281100- Lyon-Osceola-Dickinson-Sioux-O'Brien-Clay-Plymouth-Cherokee- Buena Vista-Woodbury-Ida-Lincoln-Murray-Cottonwood-Nobles-Jackson- Pipestone-Rock-Dixon-Dakota-Brookings-Lake-Moody-Minnehaha-Turner- Yankton-Union- 547 AM CDT Mon May 27 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northwest Iowa, west central Iowa, southwest Minnesota, northeast Nebraska, east central South Dakota and southeast South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Showers and thunderstorms will move across the area through early this afternoon. There will be the potential for heavy rainfall with localized flash flooding, mainly from Interstate 90 and northward. While the afternoon will be primarily dry, if storms do develop, there is a potential for them to become strong to severe this evening south of Interstate 90, with hail to the size of quarters and winds to 60 mph. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. Thunderstorms may develop again on Tuesday afternoon and evening. Some of these storms could become severe, mainly south of Interstate 90, with large hail and damaging winds. In addition, heavy rain will be a possibility with these storms. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. SDZ038-039-050-052>054-057>061-063>065-068-281100- Beadle-Kingsbury-Gregory-Jerauld-Sanborn-Miner-Brule-Aurora-Davison- Hanson-McCook-Charles Mix-Douglas-Hutchinson-Bon Homme- 547 AM CDT Mon May 27 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central South Dakota, east central South Dakota, south central South Dakota and southeast South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Showers and thunderstorms will be possible across the area this morning. These storms are not expected to be severe. While the afternoon will be primarily dry, if storms do develop, there is a potential for them to become strong to severe this evening along the lower Missouri River Valley, with hail to the size of quarters and winds to 60 mph. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. Thunderstorms may develop again on Tuesday afternoon and evening. Some of these storms could become severe through the lower Missouri River corridor, with large hail and damaging winds. In addition, heavy rain will be a possibility with these storms. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) reached a peak of 0.63 feet above flood stage at the end of the month. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
The Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) reached a peak of 0.63 feet above flood stage at the end of the month. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
Split Rock Creek below Jasper (gage site JSPM5) reached a peak of 1.31 feet above flood stage at the end of the month. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain. The low water crossing on 250th Street along the Minnesota-South Dakota border was flooded. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
Split Rock Creek below Jasper (gage site JSPM5) reached a peak of 1.31 feet above flood stage at the end of the month. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain. The low water crossing on 250th Street along the Minnesota-South Dakota border was flooded. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
The Redwood River at Russell (gage site RUSM5) reached a peak of 0.19 feet above flood stage on May 28. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain.
The Redwood River at Russell (gage site RUSM5) reached a peak of 0.19 feet above flood stage on May 28. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain.
Flandreau Creek near Flandreau (gage site FCRS2) reached a crest of 0.20 feet above flood stage on May 28. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain.
Flandreau Creek near Flandreau (gage site FCRS2) reached a crest of 0.20 feet above flood stage on May 28. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain.
The Des Moines River near Avoca (gage site AVOM5) reached a peak of 0.97 feet above flood stage on May 31. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
The Des Moines River near Avoca (gage site AVOM5) reached a peak of 0.97 feet above flood stage on May 31. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
The Little Sioux River near Montgomery (gage site MLSI4) reached a crest of 1.07 feet above flood stage on May 30. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land, which further delayed spring planting. 170th Avenue was flooded north of State Highway 9. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, 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: 831405, 831406, 831391, 831393, 831398, 831400, 831385, 831386, 831403, 831404, 831434.