Updraft: March 15, 2010 Archive

Record temps trigger rapid river rises

Posted at 8:43 AM on March 15, 2010 by Paul Huttner

It's crunch time for river residents and flood forecasters this week.

Rain, record weekend temperatures and the warmest start to March in a decade have combined to shock rivers in the Upper Midwest into flood satge this week.

The Red River at Fargo has risen nearly 10 feet since Friday.

The Crow River in Mayer is forecast to reach flood stage tonight.

Temperatures in the mid 60s in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin pretty much took care of the bulk of the snow cover this weekend. But there's still plenty of snow, and future runoff stored in the remaining snow pack in western Minnesota.

NOHRSC snow water equivalent shows 2" to 8" of water equivalent still trapped in snow cover in western Minnesota. Weekend temperatures in the 60s took care of much of the snow cover in eastern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Most of the remaining snow cover and runoff potential is loaded in the Minnesota and Red River watersheds. It's that water that will lead to headaches for river towns and flood forecasters this week.

Red dots show major flooding already in smaller rivers feeding into the Red near Fargo.

The first half of March has been a nightmare for the flood scenario in the Upper Midwest. Unseasonable rain and record warm temperatures have combined to spike river levels toward flood stage.

March temperatures in the Twin Cities are running 8.5 degrees above average so far. Every day this month has been above average, and temps will continue to run 10 to 15 dgerees above average until a cold front sweeps through Friday. By then it may be too late to stem the rising tide of rivers in the region. Most area rivers are forecast exceed flood stage this week.

Here are some links to keep track of the flooding.

Twin Cities NWS river forecasts
Red River Valley NWS flood forecasts

PH

Flood Update: Crow River in Mayer above flood stage

Posted at 4:15 PM on March 15, 2010 by Paul Huttner

NWS hydrograph shows the Crow River in Mayer has risen 4 feet since Saturday. It is above flood stage as of Monday afternoon and expected to crest late this week.

As rivers rise in the Upper Midwest, let's focus on a few specific locations. Smaller rivers often reach flood stage first, and then feed into the larger river systems.

One of the first to reach flood stage is the South Fork of The Crow River in Mayer. The river is rising rapidly and is now above flood stage at 11.25 feet Monday afternoon. Flood stage in Mayer is 11 feet.

The river is forecast to crest at 15 feet Thursday night. Major flood stage is at 16 feet.

Minnesota River rising too:

We're also seeing rapid rises along the Minnesota at New Ulm. The river has come up 6 feet since Saturday, and a full 4 feet in the past 24 hours according to the NWS hydrograph there.

Ice jams can rapidly trigger rises in rivers this time of year. Keep an eye out for rising water and fluctuating river levels if you're in a flood zone this week.

-Latest flood warnings and river levels for southern Minnesota
-Latest Red River warnings and river levels

PH

Crow River photos Monday

Posted at 8:20 PM on March 15, 2010 by Paul Huttner

Here are a few photos I snapped during my visit to the south fork of the Crow River in Mayer Monday.

PH

Crow River out of banks along County Road 23 in Mayer.

River rises as it crosses a field toward Mayer resident Paul's house just north of Mayer.(Paul's last name witheld by request)

You can see how far the river has moved above the line of trees along what was the river bank in the distance.

Crow River in Mayer rises under the County Road 23 bridge. Homes on the other side of the river appear safe for now.

Crow River spills out of its banks to flood a grove of trees Monday.