Flooding in Central Minnesota: July 14, 2009
The thunderstorms that caused the severe weather and tornadoes in west central Minnesota were also efficient rainmakers. These storms dropped rainfall one to three inches in several bands across central Minnesota. The heaviest rain fell from southern Cass through southern Crow Wing and onto Aitkin County. The automated tipping bucket at the Brainerd Airport picked up 3.01 inches of rain in one hour from 4 to 5pm. The total rainfall from the storm at the Brainerd airport was 4.99 inches. The largest 24 hour total found so far from the MNgage volunteer rain gage network was a Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District observer near Pelican Lake that saw 4.97 inches. The National Weather Service Cooperative Station at Gull Lake in Cass County saw 4.41 inches. Another cluster of storms dumped heavy rain in the St. Cloud with 3.11 inches reported in nearby Sauk Rapids.
There were some evacuations of homes in Staples due to flooding in Todd County, and localized street flooding in St. Cloud. The most damage reported was in the Aitkin area with street flooding and a railroad track was washed out by the Ripple River.
National Weather Service radar-based rainfall estimates
Data used for map creation (comma-separated value file - UTM coordinates)
Below are local storm reports from the National Weather Service.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
942 AM CDT WED JUL 15 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0415 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 4 NE BENSON 45.36N 95.55W
07/14/2009 SWIFT MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0423 PM TORNADO 4 SW GILCHRIST 45.41N 95.37W
07/14/2009 POPE MN TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO ON THE GROUND
0436 PM TORNADO 6 NNE SWIFT FALLS 45.49N 95.39W
07/14/2009 POPE MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
TORNADO REPORTED NEAR SCANDINAVIAN LAKE
0440 PM TORNADO SPICER 45.23N 94.94W
07/14/2009 KANDIYOHI MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND IN
SPICER WITH DEBRIS SEEN AT A LOCAL SHOPPING MALL.
0450 PM TORNADO 3 NE SPICER 45.26N 94.89W
07/14/2009 KANDIYOHI MN PUBLIC
TORNADO TRACKED ACROSS GREEN LAKE
0508 PM HAIL 5 SW EVANSVILLE 45.96N 95.75W
07/14/2009 M0.88 INCH DOUGLAS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0545 PM FLASH FLOOD STAPLES 46.36N 94.80W
07/14/2009 TODD MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
EVACUATIONS FOR HOMES ON 5TH ST. POWER SHUT OFF TO
STAPLES HIGH RISE APTS ON 4TH ST.
0552 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 2 E RICHMOND 45.45N 94.48W
07/14/2009 STEARNS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0625 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 2 N ST CLOUD 45.58N 94.17W
07/14/2009 STEARNS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
HAVE RECEIVED MULTIPLE REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS IN THE ST
CLOUD AREA.
0630 PM FLOOD ST CLOUD 45.55N 94.17W
07/14/2009 STEARNS MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
CO SHERIFF REPORTED LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS MAINLY
URBAN AREAS IN STREETS
0635 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 4 WNW DUELM 45.58N 94.01W
07/14/2009 BENTON MN TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTERS WERE NORTH OF DUELM LOOKING WEST.
0715 PM HEAVY RAIN ST JOSEPH 45.57N 94.32W
07/14/2009 M2.80 INCH STEARNS MN CO-OP OBSERVER
RECIEVED 2.8 INCHES OF RAIN FROM AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS.
0731 PM HEAVY RAIN 3 N ST CLOUD 45.60N 94.18W
07/14/2009 M3.00 INCH BENTON MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0825 PM HAIL 4 SSW WARMAN 46.01N 93.33W
07/14/2009 M0.50 INCH KANABEC MN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
CORRECTED 635 PM CDT REPORT FROM 4 WNW DUELM TO INDICATE FUNNEL CLOUD
RATHER THAN FLASH FLOOD.
$$
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
346 AM CDT WED JUL 15 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0425 PM HAIL 5 N PILLAGER 46.40N 94.48W
07/14/2009 M0.75 INCH CASS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
SOME SMALL BRANCHES DOWN.
0435 PM HAIL 3 E PILLAGER 46.33N 94.41W
07/14/2009 E1.75 INCH CASS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0435 PM HAIL N GULL LAKE 46.45N 94.35W
07/14/2009 M0.88 INCH CASS MN CO-OP OBSERVER
0440 PM HAIL BRAINERD 46.35N 94.19W
07/14/2009 M0.88 INCH CROW WING MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0456 PM TSTM WND GST BRAINERD 46.35N 94.19W
07/14/2009 M60.00 MPH CROW WING MN ASOS
MEASURED AT BRAINERD AIRPORT KBRD.
0515 PM HEAVY RAIN 1 E MERRIFIELD 46.47N 94.15W
07/14/2009 M5.00 INCH CROW WING MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0515 PM HAIL 1 E MERRIFIELD 46.47N 94.15W
07/14/2009 M1.75 INCH CROW WING MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0535 PM HEAVY RAIN 5 SW GRAND RAPIDS 47.18N 93.60W
07/14/2009 M2.75 INCH ITASCA MN TRAINED SPOTTER
2.75 INCHES IN 2 HOURS.
0543 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 N MOTLEY 46.36N 94.64W
07/14/2009 M3.25 INCH CASS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
3.25 INCHES OF RAIN IN 2.5 HOURS
0545 PM HEAVY RAIN NISSWA 46.50N 94.30W
07/14/2009 M4.00 INCH CROW WING MN TRAINED SPOTTER
4 INCHES OF RAIN IN 2 HOURS.
0615 PM HAIL BRAINERD 46.35N 94.19W
07/14/2009 M0.75 INCH CROW WING MN TRAINED SPOTTER
HEAVY RAIN PRIOR TO HAIL CAUSING STREET FLOODING.
0715 PM FLASH FLOOD AITKIN 46.53N 93.71W
07/14/2009 AITKIN MN TRAINED SPOTTER
STREETS INUNDATED WITH STANDING WATER. LOW LYING AREAS
FILLING AND ONE CITY BLOCK AFFECTED BY WATER IN... OR
APPROACHING BUILDINGS.
0715 PM HEAVY RAIN 5 NE DEERWOOD 46.52N 93.82W
07/14/2009 M6.00 INCH CROW WING MN TRAINED SPOTTER
6 INCHES OF RAIN IN 3 HOURS.
0815 PM FLASH FLOOD AITKIN 46.53N 93.71W
07/14/2009 AITKIN MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
RAIL ROAD TRACK WASHED OUT BY THE RIPPLE RIVER IN AITKIN.
0903 PM HEAVY RAIN 5 N PILLAGER 46.40N 94.48W
07/14/2009 M6.30 INCH CASS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0910 PM TSTM WND GST PORT WING 46.77N 91.39W
07/14/2009 M53.00 MPH BAYFIELD WI OFFICIAL NWS OBS
0948 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 SW DANBURY 45.97N 92.43W
07/14/2009 BURNETT WI TRAINED SPOTTER
SEVERAL LARGE TREES BLOWN DOWN.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
0145 CDT TUE JUL 15 2009
...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...
PRELIMINARY HEAVY RAIN TOTALS FROM TUESDAY JULY 14TH.
RAIN ACCUMULATION
6.30 INCHES8N PILLAGER
6.00 INCHES5NE DEER WOOD
5.00 INCHES 1S MERRIFIELD
4.20 INCHES5N BRAINERD
4.00 INCHES NISSWA
3.25 INCHES2N MOTLEY
2.75 INCHES 5SW GRAND RAPIDS
1.60 INCHESCLOQUET
1.42 INCHES INTERNATIONAL FALLS
1.36 INCHES DULUTH AIRPORT