On March 14, a bomb cyclone storm system moved across the Midwest and brought flash floods. Communities in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota remain under a flood warning through March 15. Additionally, Wisconsin, Missouri and Illinois experienced floods related to the storm system.
According to CNN, a bomb cyclone occurs when there is a rapid pressure drop with a decrease of at least 24 millibars over 24 hours. Southern Wisconsin towns experienced high floodwaters and road closures due to a combination of snowmelt and rainfall. The Fond du Lac River flooded due to an ice jam.
“Although the focus of the bomb cyclone was clearly on the blizzard side, the area east of the low picked up significantly heavy rains on top of existing snowpack and frozen ground that was unable to absorb any of the rain and water runoff,” said CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers.