Flood — Big Stone, Minnesota

2023-04-14 to 2023-04-17 · near Beardsley, Big Stone, Minnesota

Wider weather episode

During early April, an unprecedented snow depth of 15 to 20 inches was recorded. However, a few weeks later, warmer temperatures triggered a rapid snowmelt that occurred over a span of four to five days in mid-April. This quick thaw led to extensive overland flooding in Traverse and Big Stone Counties, resulting in severe impacts to public and personal infrastructure. To protect their properties, residents took proactive measures by initiating sandbagging operations. Unfortunately, the floodwaters caused the sewer system in the city of Dumont to be overwhelmed, resulting in water backing up into streets and basements. Additionally, numerous county and township roads, as well as widespread agricultural lands, were inundated due to the snowmelt. The floodwaters gradually receded during the evening hours of April 17th.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (45.5800, -96.8000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1097640. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.