Torrential rain led to flooding in parts of southern Minnesota on Saturday evening, and may have triggered a mudslide that closed a state highway early Sunday.
After a nearly monthlong closure due to flooding along the Mississippi River, a long stretch of Shepard/Warner Road near downtown St. Paul is set to reopen by Monday evening.
After weeks of flooding along many Minnesota rivers, the first days of May have brought reason for optimism. Floodwaters are receding more quickly than anticipated in some communities — allowing cleanup to begin.
Flood warnings along the St. Croix River at Stillwater have been canceled, after the river dropped below flood stage over the weekend. River levels across most of the state are dropping.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has closed eight of its Mississippi River locks in Minnesota and Wisconsin, saying river levels are unsafe for any navigation for the time being.
For most Minnesotans, spring flooding doesn’t directly affect their lives. Levees and other flood protection measures have drastically reduced the damage and disruption. But for others, when the water gets as high as it has this year, it forces them to change the way they live.
Rising water is prompting more road and park closures along Minnesota rivers. The St. Croix River was poised to reach major flood stage Wednesday in Stillwater, Minn. The Mississippi River is forecast to reach major flood stage in the coming days at St. Paul, Red Wing and Winona, Minn.
The main runway at the St. Paul Downtown Airport is shutting down temporarily Tuesday to allow crews to install flood barriers to hold back the rising Mississippi River. High rivers have also forced the partial closures in several state parks.
Warm weather in the weekend forecast is welcome news for many Minnesotans who are weary of the cold, wet spring. But for those who live in flood-prone areas, the quickly melting snow will send rivers rising — and time is running out to prepare.
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