Summer Storm Douses Western Wisconsin, Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Monday morning's storms brought a month's worth of rain in just a matter of hours, triggering flash flooding in parts of the south metro and western Wisconsin.
More than seven inches of rain drenched River Falls, Wisconsin, while smaller but impressive rain totals hit the Twin Cities, ranging from three to three and a half inches.
After the storms cleared, the River Falls community was working to dry out.
"There was so much water that it just came rushing through, going through the houses," said Mandi Popovich of Troy Township.
The rising Kinnickinnic River shut down parts of River Road near River Falls, which caught some homeowners off guard. It's not unusual for the river to rise, but it is unusual for it to rise this high. It forced Marsha Schroeder to find another way home.
"It's usually passable," she said from her car, stopped in front of a flooded bridge. "My rain gauge usually holds six inches of rain and it was over full this morning."
Some unlucky homeowners, like Jonathan Gaulke of River Falls, saw their basements flooded out. He was getting ready for work this morning when he realized his downstairs carpeting was ruined.
"We've been sucking it up since about 7:30 this morning," he said over the whir of a vacuum, as it pulled the water out of his basement floor carpeting.