Water levels in Minnesota’s major rivers are already at their highest and are expected to drop significantly over the next few days.
MINNESOTA, USA — As another storm ripped through the Twin Cities on Independence Day Thursday, Bloomington resident Molly Shields was feeling a little rain-weary.
“I never thought we’d get no more rain,” Shields said, “but we’re definitely at that point now.”
Shields said her garden looks great, but she also knows this summer’s rains have taken a toll on the Minnesota River that runs through her hometown, with parts of the river matching or surpassing records set by the infamous flood of 1965.
“The water’s so intense,” Shields said, standing alongside the flooded river at the Cedar Avenue Bridge. “We’ve had a lot of rain.”
Rain this week certainly won’t help, but as KARE 11 Meteorologist Ben Dery explains, it won’t have nearly the same impact.
Compared to the amount of rainfall so far this summer, the recent storms haven’t been so stationary.
“They’re not going to stay in one place for hours on end,” Dery said. “Whatever this next rain brings, this inch or two of rain is going to keep the water levels pretty high. We probably won’t see the big rivers rise again, but we’re going to see a slowing of water flowing out of that area.”
According to National Weather Service data, water levels have dropped significantly in recent days. For example, the Minnesota River at Savage has dropped about five feet, going from major flood level to minor flood level. This trend is expected to continue for the next week.
“Thankfully, this isn’t a melting snow followed by heavy rain,” Dery said. “The melt is happening much faster. We’re talking about flooding over a few days, rather than a few weeks like a typical spring flood.”
The remainder of the summer is expected to remain drier.
“I hope so,” Molly Shields said, “and I’m hoping for some fun beach days to come.”
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