RSS FeedsHydrologic Summary for March 2004 for the Area Served by the NWS Forecast Office at Sioux Falls, SD
Summary
March began with a rapid snowmelt in the south and east, followed by a few fairly significant precipitation events. The northern and western portions of the area continued to miss out on the heavier precipitation, while the combination of heavier rain and snowmelt caused some minor flooding in the south and east.
Flooding
Minor flooding occurred in early March in parts of the Big Sioux, Rock, and Floyd river basins. This flooding was the result of rapid melting of 10 to 20 inches of snow from the end of February through the first few days of March, combined with around 0.5 to 1.0 inch of rain. Parts of the Skunk Creek basin northwest of Sioux Falls saw crests reach 0.7 foot above flood stage. The Rock River in Rock Rapids IA crested just over 1 foot above flood stage. The lower Big Sioux River, near Hawarden and Akron, crested 1 to 2 feet above flood stage. The upper Floyd River near Alton recorded a crest just over flood stage, and the upper portions of Perry Creek, north of Sioux City, crested just over 1 foot above flood stage.
Impacts of the flooding were confined to agricultural lands close to the rivers and creeks. No significant damage from the flood waters or the moving ice were reported.
General Hydrologic Information
Temperatures in March were much above normal. Average temperatures for the month were generally 4 to 6 degrees above the 30 year average.Precipitation for the month was near normal for most areas. The exception was the southeastern areas, where monthly total rainfall was more than 2 inches above normal. The remainder of the region reported totals that were generally +/- 0.50 inch from normal. There was no snow cover remaining at the end of March.
Soil Moisture conditions at the end of March were near normal for most of the region. Deficits of 1 to 2 inches were still being reported in the extreme northern and western areas. The National Drought Monitor was no longer indicating any drought classification across northwest Iowa at the end of the month, with abnormally dry conditions persisting in southeast South Dakota and extreme southwest Minnesota, moderate drought in the extreme northern portions of the regions, and severe drought in the extreme western areas.
Mike Gillispie
April 8, 2004
April 8, 2004
