Mora Area Overwhelmed By More Than 6.5 Inches Of Rain
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Heavy rain caused flooding in some parts of northeast and east-central Minnesota. Roads were washed out and some farm fields were under water after more than 6.5 inches of rain fell in Mora.
The water was so high in some places that cars stalled out in the middle of the road.
A flash flood warning was issued for parts of central Minnesota.
Whenever it rains this heavy in such a short amount of time, the soil simply can't absorb all that moisture. So it ends up overwhelming ditches and city storm drains.
But Mora was ground zero, where residents awoke to rain gauges overflowing. Inches of rain washed out culverts, overflowed roads and caught motorists off guard.
"'Turn around, don't drown.' We always hear that, but people travel this road quite a bit and you'd think they know the depth of it, water is not to mess around with," resident Kristin Wachsmuth said.
Wachsmuth has a wet basement, but at the Mora post office, water was up to the loading dock, stranding several delivery vehicles. Farm fields and front lawns were turned into cascading waterfalls.
Public works crews were busy barricading flooded streets. But playing it safe would also mean a major inconvenience.
"I have an appointment across the water here, so I don't think I'm going to get there," resident Rose Tomlon said.
Now the fear is that rains could still come Thursday afternoon and evening. All that water is still moving south down the Snake River, meaning the flood danger is still far from over.
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The Duluth National Weather Service says rainfall in southern Aitkin County overnight may be historic in terms of how much fell in such a short time.
According to the NWS, in about 2.5 hours, a station north of Lake Mille Lacs recorded 4.65 inches of rain Thursday morning. Another station on Lake Mille Lacs' southeast shoreline recorded an "incredible" 5.42 inches in 2.5 hours.
The Koochiching/northern St. Louis County area had about 2 to 3 inches of rain in 2 hours earlier Thursday morning. Wednesday, the area received a similar amount of rain in a few hours, so some areas received 4 to 6 inches of rain in the past 24 hours.
The primary area of concern is Cook to Tower, Minnesota on the south shore of Lake Vermillion.
According to meteorologist Mike Augustyniak, there is a smaller threat for flash flooding in central and southern Minnesota overnight into Friday -- with a stalled fron and torrential thunderstorms possible overnight.
"If the same towns happen to get hit by repeated rounds of storms flash flooding could develop," Augustyniak said.
Here were the rainfall totals as of noon Thursday:
LOCATION AMOUNT TIMEDATE PROVIDER
4 NNE GLORY 5.00 IN 0832 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
5 NW TOWER 5.00 IN 0820 AM 0712 PUBLIC
COOK 4.92 IN 0600 AM 0712 COOP
6 WNW MCGRATH 4.90 IN 0645 AM 0712 PUBLIC
1 SE MALMO 4.86 IN 0753 AM 0712 CO-OP OBSERVER
5 N GRANTSBURG 4.50 IN 0922 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
3 WNW FRIESLAND 4.48 IN 0750 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
2 SW HINCKLEY 4.20 IN 1026 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
2 NNE HACKENSACK 4.00 IN 0700 AM 0712 PUBLIC
6 SW FINLAYSON 3.96 IN 0924 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
3 NE RANDALL 3.93 IN 1106 AM 0712 RAWS
2 N GREELY 3.82 IN 0530 AM 0712 COCORAHS
GRAND RAPIDS 3.75 IN 1021 AM 0712 PUBLIC
3 WNW FRIESLAND 3.70 IN 1115 AM 0712 GOES
1 S HILL CITY 3.66 IN 0307 AM 0712 RAWS
1 NNW HILL CITY 3.64 IN 0221 AM 0712 PUBLIC
5 ENE HACKENSACK 3.50 IN 0805 AM 0712 PUBLIC
3 N LONGVILLE 3.47 IN 0245 AM 0712 PUBLIC
RICE LAKE N.W.R. 3.45 IN 1152 AM 0712 RAWS
3 WNW OUTING 3.42 IN 0250 AM 0712 PUBLIC
6 S WHIPHOLT 3.35 IN 0700 AM 0712 COCORAHS
2 NW SANDSTONE 3.30 IN 0747 AM 0712 COCORAHS
4 NW PINE KNOLL 3.30 IN 0500 AM 0712 COCORAHS
3 S TOWER 3.09 IN 0730 AM 0712 COOP
3 NNE JENKINS 3.01 IN 1145 AM 0712 HADS
4 W JENKINS 2.91 IN 0800 AM 0712 COCORAHS
KETTLE RIVER 2.90 IN 0835 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
4 NNE BACKUS 2.78 IN 0245 AM 0712 PUBLIC
3E ORR 2.65 IN 0600 AM 0712 COOP
GRAND RAPIDS 7 SE 2.60 IN 1012 AM 0712 COCORAHS
3 SSW BRUNO 2.60 IN 0839 AM 0712 CO-OP OBSERVER
BRUNO 2.48 IN 1140 AM 0712 AWS
1 ESE IRONTON 2.31 IN 0525 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
1 SW BREEZY POINT 2.25 IN 0322 AM 0712 CWOP
1 WSW WILLOW RIVER 2.24 IN 1145 AM 0712 HADS
CROSS LAKE DAM 2.23 IN 0300 AM 0712 COOP
3 W HACKENSACK 2.23 IN 0245 AM 0712 PUBLIC
1 NW PEQUOT LAKES 2.18 IN 0305 AM 0712 PUBLIC
3 NE NISSWA 2.13 IN 0809 AM 0712 CO-OP OBSERVER
3 NE NISSWA 2.13 IN 0700 AM 0712 UCOOP
3 SW ORR 2.13 IN 0308 AM 0712 RAWS
ASKOV 2.08 IN 0900 AM 0712 COCORAHS
2 SSE EMILY 2.06 IN 0255 AM 0712 PUBLIC
3 WSW MISSION 2.05 IN 0800 AM 0712 COCORAHS
1 NNE LAKE SHORE 1.96 IN 1040 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
3 WSW TOBIQUE 1.92 IN 0245 AM 0712 HADS
7 N MCGREGOR 1.91 IN 0700 AM 0712 COCORAHS
1 WSW TAMARACK 1.89 IN 0700 AM 0712 COCORAHS
2 E CELINA 1.83 IN 0836 AM 0712 CO-OP OBSERVER
JACOBSON 1.73 IN 0245 AM 0712 HADS
3 E WRIGHT 1.65 IN 0600 AM 0712 COOP
2 SW MOOSE LAKE 1.60 IN 1108 AM 0712 RAWS
SWAN RIVER 1.56 IN 0841 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
BRAINERD AIRPORT 1.56 IN 0653 AM 0712 ASOS
1 NNE PALISADE 1.55 IN 1145 AM 0712 UCOOP
FLOODWOOD 1.53 IN 1145 AM 0712 HADS
13 SSE LITTLEFORK 1.52 IN 0300 AM 0712 HADS
5 SE BREEZY POINT 1.51 IN 1142 AM 0712 CWOP
2 N FLOODWOOD 1.51 IN 0959 AM 0712 TRAINED SPOTTER
4 N FLOODWOOD 1.50 IN 0830 AM 0712 COOP
2 ENE EAST GULL LAKE 1.48 IN 0700 AM 0712 COCORAHS
WALKER 1.41 IN 0324 AM 0712 CWOP
GRANTSBURG 1.40 IN 0700 AM 0712 COCORAHS
5 E WOODROW 1.37 IN 0750 AM 0712 COCORAHS
BRAINERD 3 NE 1.35 IN 0600 AM 0712 UCOOP
3 WNW MAHTOWA 1.34 IN 0600 AM 0712 COCORAHS
GRAND RAPIDS AIRPORT 1.32 IN 0656 AM 0712 AWOS
5 NW HOVLAND 1.28 IN 0324 AM 0712 CWOP
LIBBY 1.28 IN 0315 AM 0712 COOP
1 SE MISSION 1.25 IN 0245 AM 0712 HADS
9 SE WEBSTER 1.23 IN 0700 AM 0712 COOP
BIG FALLS 1.23 IN 0230 AM 0712 HADS
FEDERAL DAM 6 SW 1.16 IN 0200 AM 0712 HADS
LA PRAIRIE 1.15 IN 0630 AM 0712 COCORAHS
2 W WOODROW 1.14 IN 1106 AM 0712 RAWS
2 W MISSION 1.14 IN 0300 AM 0712 PUBLIC
FEDERAL DAM 3 WNW 1.12 IN 0300 AM 0712 COOP
6 ESE CLOVERDALE 1.11 IN 1115 AM 0712 RAWS
3 W BAXTER 1.09 IN 0700 AM 0712 COCORAHS
CASS LAKE DNR 1.09 IN 0301 AM 0712 RAWS
2 WNW HOVLAND 1.07 IN 0700 AM 0712 COCORAHS
1 E TAFT 1.06 IN 0315 AM 0712 CWOP
