River up; more rain on the way

According to the weather database at Carleton, we’ve gotten 8.39 inches of rain since Aug. 10. Areas in the Cannon River watershed have received much more, so the Cannon is roaring. I took these photos last night about 6 pm as another rain shower passed through, leaving a rainbow over downtown. Click photos to enlarge.

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More is on the way tonight after midnight. Here’s the text of the flash flood watch from the Nat’l Weather Service. For some reason, they like to email these out in hard-to-read, all upper case text, the online equivalent of shouting. I guess it’s more important that we know they’re SHOUTING than having us actually read the content:

URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED FLOOD WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 321 AM CDT WED AUG 22 2007

…FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA…

.ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING…AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE AREA. RAINFALL RATES BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES PER HOUR APPEAR POSSIBLE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT… ALONG AND SOUTH OF A SLEEPY EYE… TO NORTHFIELD… TO RED WING LINE. THE GROUND REMAINS VERY SATURATED DUE TO RECENT RAINS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. INTENSE RUNOFF FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OR RAPID RISES ALONG SOME MINOR RIVERS AND STREAMS. BROWN- NICOLLET- LE SUEUR- RICE- GOODHUE- WATONWAN- BLUE EARTH- WASECA- STEELE- MARTIN- FARIBAULT- FREEBORN

4 Comments

  1. Anne Bretts said:

    Griff, the hint about the upper case notice is in the word “broadcast.” When newspapers weren’t online and dinosaurs roamed the earth, immediate announcements were handled by radio and television. The announcement is written in radio and television format.

    August 22, 2007
  2. I wonder how much rain eventually reaches aquifers.

    Bright

    August 22, 2007
  3. Jody Graff said:

    With Southeastern Minnesota in devastating flood situations makes me wonder, has the Cannon ever flood to the point of residential property was destroyed? Does anybody ever remember or know of record a “major” flood of the river?

    August 22, 2007

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