With one to four inches of liquid residing in the snowpack near and north of Interstate 90 at the start of the month, a more or less ideal melting of the winter snowpack in early March produced flooding across southwest Minnesota rivers.
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 FSD wrote it up.
With one to four inches of liquid residing in the snowpack near and north of Interstate 90 at the start of the month, a more or less ideal melting of the winter snowpack in early March produced flooding across southwest Minnesota rivers.
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 Mar 4, 5:04 AM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 504 AM CST Wed Mar 4 2020 .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 313 AM CST Wed Mar 4 2020 Main concerns over the next several days will be winds and whether or not there will be a concern for fire weather. Early this morning some weak low level forcing as a wave moves through is interacting with some weak instability and generating some precipitation across northeast SD. This forcing will slide southeast through sunrise, but the forcing and instability further weaken so do not anticipate much of an impact in southeast SD or southwest MN. Warm air will slowly build northeast through the day today and bring very mild readings to locations with no snowcover. Highs should reach the mid to upper 60s in south central SD as winds take on a bit of a westerly component. South central SD towards Yankton will be a place to watch today for fire weather concerns. Winds should not be quite high enough nor relative humidity quite low enough but southwest winds 10 to 20 mph with afternoon RH around 30 percent is likely. Temperatures will be cooler north where snow cover is still in place and the warmer air is slower to arrive anyway. Highs likely 40 to 45 along highway 14 into much of southwest MN towards the IA Great Lakes. A wave will move through tonight into early Thursday morning. Similar to last night some fast moving light rain which could possibly mix with a little snow is expected but amounts will be light. Lows will be on the mild side, especially closer to the Missouri River where lows will likely be in the mid 30s. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 313 AM CST Wed Mar 4 2020 Thursday should prove to be a very windy day with winds at the top of the mixed layer running about 50 to 55 knots down the Missouri River and around 45 knots near highway 14. Bumped up winds about 4 to 8 knots in most locations. Temperatures should be cool enough that fire weather will not be a concern but locations along the Missouri River will see afternoon relative humidity drop to about 35 percent with gusts likely around 50 mph. Temperatures will climb to around 50 there with highs around 40 north of Interstate 90. While precipitation is unlikely some rain or snow showers will be possible with some weak instability in the mixed layer. High pressure will slide through on Thursday night and bring some cooler morning lows Friday. Expecting some teens north of Interstate 90 with 20 to 25 elsewhere. Friday will see a strong southerly gradient develop and while winds will not be as strong as Thursday we will likely see south winds of 20 to 35 mph. Temperatures will be on the rebound as cool high pressure shifts east. High 40 to 45 in southwest MN to around 60 in south central SD. Very strong upper level ridging builds into the area this weekend and still anticipate a very warm weekend with no chance for precipitation, at least not until Sunday night. Highs both days well into the 60s with some 70s likely near the Missouri River on Saturday and possibly around Vermillion and Sioux City on Sunday. Whatever snow exists north of Interstate 90 towards Brookings into southwest MN will be gone by Monday. Lows on Saturday morning from the mid 30s to mid 40s and Sunday morning in the 40s to around 50. Some question on the timing of the boundary on Sunday so will need to keep an eye out for the potential for cooler highs if the front moves through a few hours earlier than expected. The ridge is expected to break down Sunday night into Monday as troughing spreads east. Rain and snow chances will be highest Sunday night into Monday morning. Highs Monday and Tuesday will drop back into the upper 30s to mid 40s. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Thursday morning) Issued at 503 AM CST Wed Mar 4 2020 VFR through the period. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...08 LONG TERM...08 AVIATION...08
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 327 AM CST Wed Mar 4 2020 IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097- 098-NEZ013-014-SDZ038>040-050-052>071-050930- 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- 327 AM CST Wed Mar 4 2020 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 No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Northwest winds on Thursday will likely gust to 45 to 50 mph, with strongest winds from later morning through the afternoon. The strongest winds should be near the Missouri River. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The West Fork of the Des Moines River near Avoca (gage site AVOM5) rose above flood stage on March 4, and crested 1.71 feet above flood stage on March 6. A significant amount of agricultural land was flooded.
The West Fork of the Des Moines River near Avoca (gage site AVOM5) rose above flood stage on March 4, and crested 1.71 feet above flood stage on March 6. A significant amount of agricultural land was flooded.
The West Fork of the Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) rose above flood stage on March 6, and crested 0.77 feet above flood stage on March 10. The main impact was flooding of agricultural land.
The West Fork of the Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) rose above flood stage on March 6, and crested 0.77 feet above flood stage on March 10. The main impact was flooding of agricultural land.
The Redwood River at Marshall (gage site MSHM5) rose briefly above flood stage and crested at 1.19 feet above flood stage on March 7. Minor flooding of agricultural areas occurred outside Marshall.
The Redwood River at Russell (gage site RUSM5) crested 0.46 feet above flood stage on March 9. Minor flooding of agricultural land was the main impact.
The Redwood River at Russell (gage site RUSM5) crested 0.46 feet above flood stage on March 9. Minor flooding of agricultural land was the main impact.
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, March 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: 875548, 875549, 875550, 875551, 875547, 875545, 875546.