Southeast Minnesota started April with some river flooding along portions of the Mississippi River. The flooding was the result of runoff from snow that melted in late March.
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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 ARX wrote it up.
Southeast Minnesota started April with some river flooding along portions of the Mississippi River. The flooding was the result of runoff from snow that melted in late March.
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 Mar 31, 9:15 PM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service La Crosse WI 1015 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2020 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Wednesday) Issued at 217 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2020 Clouds have advected into western Wisconsin this early afternoon. Subsidence associated with the surface high pressure system over the region today will limit the westward extent of the clouds. This should help keep skies mostly sunny west of the Mississippi River. This cloud deck will impact afternoon high temperatures, with highs coolest across central Wisconsin. On Wednesday, a short wave disturbance introduces some scattered low chances for rain. Due to weak forcing and some questions on the degree of saturation, there is low confidence on the exact timing and areas impacted by these potential showers. If rain showers do develop, any accumulations will be light. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Tuesday) Issued at 217 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2020 Some light showers could linger especially across northern parts of the area Wednesday night with broad 850-700 mb warm advection. Height falls will spread across the high plains ahead of an upper trough on Thursday with pronounced ridging/southwest flow aloft in advance. A mild day with highs in the 50s and 60s is expected. Showers are possible, especially by afternoon, as warm advection continues and the surface trough/cold front slowly approaches from the west. The higher rain chances arrive Thursday night-Friday night with a more strongly forced frontogenetic rain band associated with the main upper trough. Although pwats on the higher side are expected (near an inch), the system looks to be fairly progressive with the band to gradually weaken with eastward extent towards the Great Lakes as the frontogenetic signal relaxes. Precip amounts on the order of 1/2 inch are possible, but excessive amounts are not expected. This rainfall may, however, contribute to additional rises on area rivers, though. Temps Friday will hinge on timing of the rainfall, with cooler temps favored west due to the clouds/precip while temps could reach near 60 farther to the east, assuming mainly dry conditions. Snow could mix in by Friday night as temps cool from the west. Drier weather is favored heading into the weekend as high pressure builds south behind the front. Saturday will feature near average temps before light return flow develops on the backside of the high for Sunday with a corresponding boost in temps. Southwest flow aloft is expected early next week with temps looking to be well above average (highs at least into the 60s for much of the area). Lesser confidence exists with precip chances, as models vary on smaller scale flow details, but the flow pattern and ensemble blends support some rain potential early in the week. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday night) Issued at 1015 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2020 VFR conditions expected through the period. KRST/KLSE will see an increase in altocumulus through Wednesday into Wednesday night ahead of low pressure moving through the northern/central Plains. There is an outside/small chance of some sprinkles at KRST Wednesday morning but think these will hold off to the west. Therefore, will not include them at this issuance. Otherwise, plan on winds picking up out of the southeast going into Wednesday with some gusts around 20kt at KRST after 15z. Looks for the the gustiness to settle some Wednesday evening. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. MN...None. IA...None. && SHORT TERM...Peters LONG TERM...JM AVIATION...DAS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service La Crosse WI 325 AM CDT Tue Mar 31 2020 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029- 032>034-041>044-053>055-061-011200- Mitchell-Howard-Winneshiek-Allamakee-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette- Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona-Mower-Fillmore-Houston- Taylor-Clark-Buffalo-Trempealeau-Jackson-La Crosse-Monroe-Juneau- Adams-Vernon-Crawford-Richland-Grant- 325 AM CDT Tue Mar 31 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southeast Minnesota...northeast Iowa and southwest into central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. However, some rises will occur on area rivers through the week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... No action needed. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled. NMB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Runoff from melted snow pushed the Mississippi River out of its banks in Wabasha. The river crested over a foot above the flood stage at 13.3 feet on April 4th.
Runoff from melted snow pushed the Mississippi River out of its banks in Winona. The river crested over a foot above the flood stage at 14.2 feet on April 4th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, April 2020
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: 885973, 885974.