Flash Flood — Freeborn, Minnesota

2008-06-11 to 2008-06-12 · near Albert Lea, Freeborn, Minnesota

Event narrative

Approximately three to five inches of heavy rain in three hours resulted in flash flooding. Water was reported over Highway 65 three miles southeast of Albert Lea, and over Interstate 90 five miles east and one mile north of Hayward. Heavy rain washed out a section of County Road 34 between County Roads 19 and 21, or about three miles south of Oakland. One man died when he drove into the washed out roadbed and the vehicle submerged. The first call to 911 came at 0005 CST June 12, alerting law enforcement that the road had washed out. Shortly thereafter, another call to 911 was placed when a vehicle with two occupants drove into the washed out roadbed. The two occupants were rescued but informed their rescuers that they had landed on a vehicle, which turned out to be the vehicle with the deceased 52 year old male. Two people died indirect deaths when, at night on June 29, at the same washed out location three miles south of Oakland, they either drove around a barricade or somebody had moved the barricade. The vehicle plunged into the cavernous hole. One woman died June 29 and a man died July 3.

Wider weather episode

A warm frontal boundary across from eastern North Dakota to central Minnesota was one of the main culprits for severe weather on this date.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (43.6449, -93.3871)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 115514. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.