Jun. 23—RED WING, Minn. — As flooding from heavy rains over the weekend recedes in Southeast Minnesota, emergency management officials are still bracing for high water.

Forecasts show the potential for major flooding on the Mississippi River in Red Wing by next Sunday, June 30, 2024. That depends in part on how much rain does or does not fall in the area between now and then and how quickly high waters from flash flooding this weekend move through the system, forecasters say.

Rounds of storms soaked Southeast Minnesota, pushing creeks and rivers over or near flood stage. Some of the high water ran over roads prompting closures and detours during heavy rains Saturday.

In 72 hours — from Thursday morning June 20, through Sunday morning June 23 — about 6.5 inches of rain fell on Austin, Minnesota, and more than 6 inches of rainfall was measured in parts of Fillmore County. Interstate 90 in Mower County was briefly closed due to standing water across all four lanes. In Fillmore County, a portion of U.S. Highway 63 was also closed briefly.

Most of the flooding creeks and rivers had crested by Sunday evening and most roads were open again after inspections found no damage to the roadways, Minnesota Department of Transportation officials reported.

“Once it recedes off the roadway, we look to see if it’s passable and open it up,” said Cindy Morgan, public engagement coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. “So far, in this region, we haven’t seen any concerns.”

As the high water worked its way to the Mississippi River, a few roads remained closed on Sunday afternoon. Water was over the roadway on Minnesota Highway 250 east of Lanesboro, Minnesota, where the South fork of the Root River meets the main channel.

The rising Root River prompted the Fillmore County Sheriff’s office to issue a voluntary evacuation of campgrounds in low-lying areas along the river.

North of there, Minnesota Highway 74 was closed due to flooding on the Whitewater River near Weaver, Minnesota. Goodhue County Road 7 was closed as waters from the Cannon River spilled over the roadway.

Some residents along the Cannon River piled sandbags to protect their homes, said Earl Merchlewitz, Goodhue County Emergency Management Director. MnDOT closed Minnesota Highway 20 north of Cannon Falls as waters covered the roadway there, Merchlewitz said. Like most major roadways in the area, that highway was open again by Sunday morning. However, plenty of rural roads are still being assessed for damage, Merchlewitz said.

Merchlewitz said the Cannon River had crested in the areas of concern by Sunday afternoon.

“It’s all pointing to what we want to see,” he said.

After that, he and emergency planners in Red Wing will prepare for flooding along the Mississippi.

The Mississippi River is forecast to crest just below major flooding level, but the forecast is likely to change, Merchlewitz said.

“We’re still waiting to see how much is going to be pushing from the Minnesota (River) and how much rain the basin gets this week,” he said.

Those factors and more could affect the river forecast models, said Cathy Zapotocny, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Soils in the area were dry at the start of the season. How well those soils now absorb more moisture is also a factor in determining the extent of flooding downstream, she said.

“A lot of it does depend on how good the modeling is (at) moving the water from one location in the water system to another,” she said. “We’ve had a long-term drought and we’ve had this big recharge of water into the soil.”

Rain is forecast for the area Monday evening and Friday. Zapotocny said that could affect the flood forecast as well. However, some of the rivers and creeks that flow into the Mississippi are efficient at moving water quickly and might move rainfall to the Mississippi quickly before the forecast surge.

One of those fast-reacting rivers is the South fork of the Zumbro River, which was so high Saturday afternoon that new rainfall had nowhere to go but onto West River Parkway in Rochester.

City public works staff closed the street.

By Sunday morning, the road was open again as water went back down.

“The South fork of the Zumbro is a very ‘flashy’ river,” said Aaron Luckstein, the city’s deputy public works director. “It will be quick to rise and quick to go back down.”

City staff was busy from Friday through Sunday morning, Luckstein said.

Trails in some areas along those creeks and the Zumbro River were underwater. Those trails will remain closed through Sunday until city staff inspect the trails for damage early Monday, Luckstein said.

Crews were also at the Silver Lake dam to open the gates and lower the dam to increase the water flow through the system to prevent flooding upstream.

“It’s essentially designed to act as if the dam’s not there,” Luckstein said.

Areas of southeastern Minnesota received heavy rainfall Friday and Saturday. These are the 72-hour totals as of the morning of Sunday, June 23, according to the National Weather Service:

* Elgin, 6.7 inches

* Austin, 6.5 inches

* Wykoff, 6.18 inches

* Kasson, 5.7 inches

* Fillmore, 6.04 inches

* Rochester, 5.15 inches