Heavy rain causes accidents, slows commute

I-494 at Highway 55
A semi-trailer went off the road Monday morning on Interstate 494 at Highway 55.
MnDOT highway camera

Updated: 11:03 a.m. | Posted: 8:02 a.m

Heavy rain throughout the early morning led to accidents across the state and slowed Monday's commute in the Twin Cities. The region remains under a flash flood watch until 1 p.m.

Western Wisconsin and central and southern Minnesota took the brunt of the storm, which dropped more than 6 inches of rain in River Falls, Wis., and just over 2.5 inches at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

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The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for parts of west-central Wisconsin until 8 a.m. The National Weather Service received reports of some flash flooding around the area including reports of vehicles stalled in flooded intersections in St. Cloud. Flash flooding was also reported in Woodbury early on Monday.

The rains swelled Minnehaha Creek at Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis by more than 2.5 feet overnight to a depth of just over 15 feet.

The weather made Monday's commute slower than usual, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

A number of accidents were reported around the region throughout the morning as vehicles slid off wet roads. The westbound lanes of Interstate 494 near the exit for Highway 55 were closed on Monday morning after a semi-trailer crashed into the guard rail. Officials were rerouting traffic onto nearby exit and on-ramps until the semi is removed. The road is expected to be open again by 1 p.m.

Xcel Energy reported more than 1,800 outages across the region on Monday morning, although crews were working to restore power. Metro Transit also reported that a power outage delayed the Green Line by about ten minutes early on Monday morning, although regular service was quickly restored.

The National Weather Service predicts rainfall of between 2 and 4 inches throughout the morning and afternoon. Storms should clear the region by about 4 p.m.