Twin Cities Reeling From Record-Setting Memorial Day Rain
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Waterlogged land across the Twin Cities can't seem to dry out. We're just a quarter-inch away from the wettest spring ever recorded at the airport -- and a record-setting Memorial Day will take some time to recover from.
Rain quickly dried up any dreams of a holiday golf game. Patrick Flanagan captured flood waters on Minneapolis' Hiawatha Golf Course on a record-setting day for Memorial Day rain.
"This is normally a fairway, and there's the lake spilling onto it," Flanagan said.
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One-point-eight-three inches of rain fell in all, still rerouting plans on Tuesday. As director of golf for the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, Joe Green hasn't seen such a slow start at all seven courses in his more than 20 years.
"Currently we have the back nine closed at Hiawatha. Three holes have standing water on them that are unplayable," Green said. "It hasn't been very good we just haven't gotten the cooperation with the weather yet. Seems like it's raining every day or every other day."
That means the water in Minnehaha Creek hasn't been able to stay in its banks this spring, either. Mary Ann Jagodzinski also says the last few months have stood out. She worries what all the damage could mean for people who want to take in the parkway down the road.
"I've seen definite changes in the creek," Jagodzinski said. "If you look at all the orange you can see the creek is giving way."
At Meadowbrook Golf Course, it's the fifth hole that Monday's rain ruined. As fingers are crossed for open fairways real soon.
"We keep hope up that the sun will shine and we'll be able to play," Green said.
The courses only need a few days to dry out. So crews again are keeping a close eye on showers in the forecast Wednesday.
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