Roads begin to reopen as flooding starts to recede

Jun. 22—ROCHESTER — Roads across southeastern Minnesota were closed this morning after heavy rains flooded parts of the region.

Part of Interstate 90 was closed in Austin, but lanes reopened as of 8 a.m. Saturday, according to Mower County Emergency Manager Amy Bramwell. Parts of Minnesota Highway 56 remain closed in areas, she said, although later information from the Minnesota Department of Transportation indicated that Hwy. 56 has since reopened.

Bramwell said that her department and the Sheriff's Department had conducted two water rescues in Austin today as of about 8:30 a.m.

"Please do not travel through barricades, do not drive through standing water," she said. "There are roads flooded that have never been flooded."

The Mower County Sheriff's Office said travel is "not advised due to many roadways throughout the county being flooded." People who see flooded areas that have not been barricaded are asked to call Mower County's non-emergency sheriff's number, 507-437-9400, Bramwell said.

Besides safety concerns, there are health concerns associated with human contact with the flood water, Bramwell said.

Creeks and rivers along Hwy. 56 north of I-90 in Mower County are flowing out of their banks, flooding pastures and fields. Krueger Trucking, near the I-90/Hwy. 56 interchange, has standing water across its lot. The water appears to be receding in some areas.

To the east, in Fillmore County, a portion of U.S. Highway 63 is closed. MnDOT says the road is closed between County Road 3, near Ostrander, and Minnesota Highway 16, in Spring Valley.

The flooding comes after days of heavy rainfall across Southeast Minnesota. More rain is expected today, in the form of non-severe isolated thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Also, the potential exists for another round of severe thunderstorms on Monday night into Tuesday, according to NWS.

The weather service said the "threat for heavy rain continues for much of the area" on Saturday, especially along and south of the Minnesota-Iowa border and into southwestern Wisconsin. In some areas, especially extreme southeast Minnesota, "the storms could drop 2-4 inches of rain in a very short amount of time, resulting in localized flooding and further aggravate area river levels," the weather service said.

As of 8:20 a.m., nearly all of Mower County and a large part of Fillmore County remain under a flood warning. That is in effect until 11 a.m. today

Also, areas within Dodge, Goodhue, Wabasha and Winona counties — including much of the area along the Mississippi River through those counties — are under a flood warning. All of southeastern Minnesota is under a National Weather Service advisory to be aware of the potential for hazardous weather today.

Cities and counties in the area have made sandbags available for residents' and businesses' use. In Mower County, two sites offer sandbags — the city at 1601 11th Drive NE, and the county at its public works building, 1105 Eighth Ave. NE.

In Goodhue County, no major roadways are flooded, but some local streets and rural roads are, according to the Sheriff's Office. Many of those roads have been marked or barricaded, but people who find a flooded road that is not marked should call the non-emergency number for the Sheriff's Office, 507-385-3155, to report it.

Yesterday, the Goodhue County Board of Commissioners enacted an emergency no-wake ordinance (a 5-mph speed limit) for boats on the Mississippi River between milepost 773 and milepost 807 due to the high water levels. The ordinance will be in effect until the water recedes below 11 feet. The current level at Red Wing is 11.5 feet, but the river is projected to rise to 15 feet within about a week, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data shared by the National Weather Service. Flood stage is 14 feet at Red Wing.

In Dodge County, about 10 to 20 roads remain closed, according to the Sheriff's Office, but the flooding threat is largely passed. The Zumbro River dam at Mantorville held up against the storm and the river level is well below the Hwy. 57 bridge as of Saturday morning. In Dodge County, people who see flooded roads or other hazards are asked to call the non-emergency number for the Sheriff's Office, 507-635-6200.

Areas of southeastern Minnesota received heavy rainfall Friday and Saturday. These are the 24-hour totals as of the morning of Saturday, June 22, according to the National Weather Service:

* Rochester International Airport, 2.05 inches

* Theilman (Wabasha County), 1.46 inches

* Fillmore County Airport (Preston), 1.32 inches

* Winona Municipal Airport, 1.13 inches

* Elgin, 0.94 inches

* Zumbrota, 0.75 inches

* Albert Lea, 0.75 inches

* Altura, 0.62 inches

* Wabasha, 0.59 inches

* Austin Wastewater Treatment Facility, 0.47 inches

* Red Wing, 0.30 inches

Mankato, meanwhile, received nearly 3 inches of rain (2.92 inches) over the last 24 hours.