Flood in Morrison County, Minnesota

A combination of record setting seasonal snowfall, high snow water equivalent values, and rapid snow melt led to low lying areas, ditches, and ravines across the county to flood for a prolonged period of time. Road infrastructure such as bridges, gravel roads, and culverts experience varied degrees of damage caused by rapid runoff. Morrison County Emergency Management reported $149,300 in damages to roads and bridges.

A near-record snowfall season across Minnesota and Wisconsin led to a snowpack with snow-water-equivilent (SWE) values of 4 to 6 inches across much of the region by mid-March. Below normal temperatures for the first of of spring kept much of the snowpack in tact until the end of the month when it started to melt.

The melt accelerated in early April. On April 08, highs were in the 60s across the region. On April 09-10 they were in the 70s, and during April 11-14, many locations saw highs in the 80s! This rapid snowmelt led to widespread flooding across the low-lying areas, ditches and ravines. As a result, many gravel roads and culverts were washed out or needed to be repaired, costing nearly $2.3 million in damages.