Flood Warnings In Effect For Mississippi River In Minn. Counties
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – After torrential rains fell on north-central Minnesota Monday night, flood warnings are in effect for the Mississippi River, which is expected to crest close to 17 feet near Aitkin.
The National Weather Service says the warnings are in effect for Aitkin, Crow Wing, and Morrison counties, and they are expected to last through the weekend.
In Aitkin County, the river swelled near Aitkin City Tuesday morning to 12.4 feet, which is just below flood stage at 13 feet. The river is expected to rise above flood stage Tuesday and reach near 17 feet Wednesday evening.
At that height, pumping will begin at the wastewater treatment plant, sandbagging starts at the Aitkin City transformer and water will top the levees on the north side of the city, the National Weather Service says.
The last time the river saw a crest this high was in June of 2012, when the river hit nearly 19 feet.
The heavy rains had the waters of nearby Long Lake rise more than a foot. Homeowners on the lake were scrambling Tuesday to salvage what they could of their boat trailers and dock houses.
Washouts were also seen on Aitkin County roads. There was a complete washout along County Highway 4, which crews worked to patch up on Tuesday. Meanwhile, standing water was still on some roads, which motorists were encouraged not to drive through.
In Crow Wing and Morrison counties, the flood warning for the Mississippi River is focused near Fort Ripley, which is on the border of the two counties. On Tuesday morning, the river there was close to 9 feet. Flood stage at that location is 10 feet.
The river is forecasted to rise above flood stage and crest Friday at 13 feet. The National Weather Service says the last time the river crested at a similar height was in 1966.
Crow Wing County Emergency Management Director John Bowen says several county roads were closed Tuesday due to flooding.
A flood warning has also been issued for the Two Rivers river near Hallock in Kittson County in extreme northwest Minnesota.
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