Updraft: August 11, 2010 Archive

Serious Flooding western Wisconsin

Posted at 7:17 AM on August 11, 2010 by Craig Edwards

More than six inches of rain fell in the past twenty-four hours in west central Wisconsin. Here is the latest Flood Warning from the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.

614 AM CDT WED AUG 11 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WARNING FOR...
DUNN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...
EASTERN PIERCE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...
EASTERN ST. CROIX COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...
WESTERN CHIPPEWA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

* UNTIL NOON CDT

* LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED FLOODING ACROSS MUCH OF
DUNN AS WELL AS EASTERN PORTIONS OF ST. CROIX AND PIERCE COUNTIES.
NORTHWEST CHIPPEWA COUNTY ALSO RECEIVED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.
DUNN COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED MANY ROADS WASHED OUT WITH
SINK HOLES AND NUMEROUS MUDSLIDES. FOUR MILES NORTH OF KNAPP
COUNTY ROAD Q WAS WASHED OUT. THERE WAS AN UNOFFICIAL REPORT OF 6
INCHES OF RAIN IN KNAPP. HIGHWAY 170 NEAR COLFAX WAS ALSO UNDER
WATER. IN PIERCE COUNTY THE RUSH RIVER WAS 3 FEET OVER A BRIDGE IN
MARTELL. RESIDENTS NEAR THE RUSH RIVER...AS WELL AS OTHER STREAMS
SHOULD BE ALERT TO RAPID RISES. LITTLE ADDITIONAL RAIN IS EXPECTED
THIS MORNING...BUT STREAMS AND RIVER WILL RISE FROM THE HEAVY
RAINFALL OVERNIGHT.

Additional rainfall totals will be posted in an updated Updraft. More heat and humidity today.
CE

Heat and humidity

Posted at 7:53 AM on August 11, 2010 by Craig Edwards (2 Comments)

Big flood problems continue over west central Wisconsin with the Chippewa River on the rise and the Rush River out of its banks. Three to six inches of rain drenched portions of west central Wisconsin overnight. The highest total reported to the National Weather Service during the past twenty-four hours was 6.25 inches of rain in Glenwood City in St. Croix County.

Fortunately there wasn't much in the way of damaging winds or tornadoes Tuesday afternoon and evening. Winds of near 70 mph were reported near Lindstorm in east central Minnesota shortly before 7PM.

Twin Cities International Airport tallied 2.47 inches of rain yesterday which sets a new daily rainfall record for August 10th. Flying Cloud Airport automated gauge captured 3.42 inches of rain.

We will need to endure another seventy-two hours of heat and humidity as we go through the remainder of the work week. Expect highs to top out near ninety degrees with dew points close to seventy degrees. Heat index values will approach one hundred in the mid and late afternoon hours.

More soaking rains are in the offing for late Thursday into Friday for parts of Minnesota.

Tropical storm number five is disorganized off the Gulf Coast. Sustained winds of thirty miles an hour and heavy rain will move on-shore from New Orleans to Mobile later tonight.
CE

Copious rainfall

Posted at 9:23 AM on August 11, 2010 by Craig Edwards

Graphical image of rainfall in the upper Midwest past twenty-four hours. Note once again how Iowa really got hammered. Flooding rains in west central Wisconsin where totals exceeded six inches in St. Croix County.

In the downtown Metro of the Twin Cities reports of between three to nearly four inches of rainfall. The rain gauge at Target Field measured 3.64 inches. Note how well the field drained in less than twelve hours. Infield tarp was not down. Photo provided by Larry DiVito.

A months worth of rain

Posted at 10:43 AM on August 11, 2010 by Craig Edwards (2 Comments)

See how much rain fell near your back yard.
Rainfall in the past twenty-four hours. Record daily total at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.

Heat and humidty push Heat Index values to near 100 today. Heavy rain possible again in portions of the state late Thursday into Friday night.
CE

More storms in the offing

Posted at 3:32 PM on August 11, 2010 by Craig Edwards

You may have seen television weathercasters with animation of future radar that is often difficult to track for the average viewer. At the National Weather Service specialist at the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC) integrate the information from several computer model runs and then manually craft their own precipitation forecast.

The image shown here is an estimated total of the mean areal precipitation for the next seventy-two hours ending at 7PM CDT on Saturday.

In anticipation of the heavy rain threat, the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls has already posted a Flash Flood Watch that includes the saturated counties of southwest Minnesota for Thursday afternoon through Friday. More landscape may be added to the Flood Watch in later forecasts.

Here is a run down of rainfall totals from August 10th that ,according to Dr. Mark Seeley set daily records: MSP Airport 2.47 inches, Hastings 3.31 inches, Fosston 2.12 inches, Flying Cloud Airport 3.42 inches, Jordan 2.23 inches, University of Minnesota St Paul 4.23 inches, and Lower St Anthony Falls 4.85 inches.

Other amounts included 4.72 inches in Lauderdale, 2.70 inches in Woodbury, and 3.64 inches at Target Field. In Wisconsin 6.25 inches was measured near Glenwood City in St. Croix County.

Once again the Heat Index approached 100 degrees in the Twin Cities. More of the same is on tap for Thursday before thunderstorms bloosom.

Thunderstorms may crossover from the eastern Dakotas into far northwest Minnesota very late tonight.
CE