Heavy Rain: July 16-17, 2008

rainfall map

Event Synopsis

During the evening of July 16, 2008 a small, but intense area of thunderstorms produced torrential downpours over extreme southeastern Minnesota in Winona and Houston County. The La Crosse National Weather Service saw its greatest one day precipitation total for July 16th with 2.50 inches. The highest total found was 5.21 inches at La Crescent in Houston County. Just one mile NNW of La Crecent the rainfall total was 3.92 inches. Many streets were flooded in La Crescent and the intersection of Main and Elm Street was under two feet of water. Mudslides were reported along I-94 near Dresbach in far southeastern Winona County.

Some welcome rains fell over a large part of Minnesota on July 17, 2008. A good general soaking rain of one half to two inches fell over a multi-county area on July 17, from Rochester to Redwood Falls. Some of the heaviest rains fell on south central Minnesota. The University of Minnesota Experiment Station at Waseca received 4.14 inches in 24 hours. Farther west in Nicollet County a general one to two inches of rain fell with the highest total 2.29 inches in the township of Lafayette in the western part of the county. There was some severe weather with the rain on the 17th. There was some corn laying down due to strong winds with the storm in Layfayette Township in Nicollet County and there was some hail reported as well in Waseca and Blue Earth Counties.

Pockets of dryness continue in the state. The Twin Cities only received about two tenths of an inch of rain on July 17 and that and did little to erase the deficit that has building during June and July. From June 1 to July 18th the Twin Cities International Airport received 4.51 inches of rain and that is 2.07 inches below normal. Other places in the Twin Cities are as much as three inches behind normal over the past six weeks.

Below are local storm reports courtesy the National Weather Service.


PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
931 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0540 PM     FLOOD            LA CROSSE               43.83N 91.23W
07/16/2008                   LA CROSSE          WI   AMATEUR RADIO

            STREET FLOODING AT COPELAND AND ST JAMES AVE

0545 PM     HEAVY RAIN       3 NE WESTBY             43.68N 90.81W
07/16/2008  M3.24 INCH       VERNON             WI   CO-OP OBSERVER

0615 PM     HEAVY RAIN       4 NNW LA CROSSE         43.88N 91.26W
07/16/2008  M2.30 INCH       LA CROSSE          WI   NWS EMPLOYEE

            2.30 INCHES OF RAIN MEASURED IN THE LAST HOUR BY NWS
            EMPLOYEE.

0622 PM     HEAVY RAIN       3 WSW LA CRESCENT       43.81N 91.36W
07/16/2008  M1.67 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   AMATEUR RADIO

0630 PM     FLOOD            4 NE BLOOMINGDALE       43.69N 90.73W
07/16/2008                   VERNON             WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            WATER WAS OVER PARTS OF COUNTY ROADS D AND P IN TOWNSHIP
            OF CLINTON IN NORTH CENTRAL PARTS OF COUNTY.

0638 PM     FLOOD            2 NNE GREENWOOD         43.59N 90.40W
07/16/2008                   VERNON             WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            WATER WAS OVER SECTIONS OF COUNTY ROAD C FOR A SHORT
            TIME.

0640 PM     FLOOD            MOUND PRAIRIE           43.78N 91.45W
07/16/2008                   HOUSTON            MN   CO-OP OBSERVER

            RAIN RUNOFF IS CAUSING VERY RAPID RISES ON AREA CREEKS
            AND STREAMS.

0647 PM     FLASH FLOOD      4 SSE DAKOTA            43.86N 91.33W
07/16/2008                   WINONA             MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            MUDSLIDES REPORTED ALONG INTERSTATE 90 NEAR DRESBACH.

            TREES IN MUDSLIDE DEBRIS FLOW MAY BE ON TO SOME LANES ON
            ROADWAY. FLASH FLOODING REPORTED AROUND THE AREA AS WELL.

0700 PM     HEAVY RAIN       LA CRESCENT             43.83N 91.30W
07/16/2008  E4.00 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            4.00 INCHES OF RAIN REPORTED IN THE CITY OF LA CRESCENT.

0702 PM     FLOOD            LA CRESCENT             43.83N 91.30W
07/16/2008                   HOUSTON            MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            MANY STREETS FLOODED AND TRYING TO CLOSE THEM OFF.

0704 PM     FLASH FLOOD      5 W LA CRESCENT         43.83N 91.40W
07/16/2008                   HOUSTON            MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            UNOFFICIAL RAINFALL REPORTS OF 4 TO 5 INCHES CAUSING
            FLASH FLOODING. WATER OVER COUNTY ROAD 6 IN PINE CREEK
            AREA.

0710 PM     HEAVY RAIN       2 N LA CRESCENT         43.86N 91.30W
07/16/2008  M3.45 INCH       WINONA             MN   NWS EMPLOYEE

            STREET FLOODING HAS GONE DOWN IN HILLS NORTH OF LA
            CRESCENT.

0710 PM     HEAVY RAIN       LA CRESCENT             43.83N 91.30W
07/16/2008  E3.00 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   NWS EMPLOYEE

0725 PM     HEAVY RAIN       1 N LA CRESCENT         43.84N 91.30W
07/16/2008  M3.90 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   NWS EMPLOYEE

            NWS EMPLOYEE MEASURED 3.90 INCHES OF RAIN IN LA CRESCENT.


0725 PM     FLASH FLOOD      LA CRESCENT             43.83N 91.30W
07/16/2008                   HOUSTON            MN   NWS EMPLOYEE

            NWS EMPLOYEE REPORTS AT THE INTERSECTION OF MAIN AND ELM
            STREET 2 FEET UNDERWATER.

0745 PM     HEAVY RAIN       4 NW HOKAH              43.80N 91.41W
07/16/2008  M3.00 INCH       HOUSTON            MN   CO-OP OBSERVER

            DAY CREEK IS OUT OF ITS BANKS.

0746 PM     FLASH FLOOD      MOUND PRAIRIE           43.78N 91.45W
07/16/2008                   HOUSTON            MN   CO-OP OBSERVER

            WATER OVER SECTIONS OF COUNTY ROAD 25.



PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
514 PM CDT THU JUL 17 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0930 AM     HAIL             3 SSW JANESVILLE        44.08N 93.73W
07/17/2008  M1.00 INCH       WASECA             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0945 AM     HAIL             2 NNW WASECA            44.11N 93.53W
07/17/2008  M1.00 INCH       WASECA             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TIME IS ESTIMATED.

1036 AM     HAIL             1 NNW MINNESOTA LAKE    43.85N 93.84W
07/17/2008  M0.75 INCH       BLUE EARTH         MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

1100 AM     HEAVY RAIN       2 NNW WASECA            44.11N 93.53W
07/17/2008  M4.44 INCH       WASECA             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

1100 AM     TSTM WND DMG     ESE STEELE CENTER       43.94N 93.18W
07/17/2008                   STEELE             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            24 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN. TIME IS ESTIMATED.

1106 AM     HAIL             1 W HARTLAND            43.80N 93.51W
07/17/2008  M0.88 INCH       FREEBORN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            50 MPH WINDS WERE ALSO MEASURED AT THIS LOCATION.
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