Flood — Ramsey, Minnesota

2010-03-20 to 2010-03-26 · near St Paul, Ramsey, Minnesota

Event narrative

Several communities along the Mississippi River from Mendota Bridge to Hastings had flooding problems related to the flood crest on the Mississippi River in Ramsey County. Monetary costs were based on FEMA, State, and Local assistance which includes the following categories; debris removal, emergency protective measures, road systems and bridges, buildings, utilities and parks.

Wider weather episode

Accumulating snowfall across the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains was extensive during the 2009/2010 winter with snowfall water equivalent amounts across the Minnesota River Valley as high as six inches. Across the Mississippi River Valley and the Crow, snowfall water equivalent amounts were between three and five inches.

The winter had very little melting on the snow cover and therefore, once temperatures in March started to rise and melt the snow cover, there was nearly three to six inches of liquid water ready to be release onto the surface.

The second week of March began with temperatures rising into the 40s and 50s.

A Flood Watch was issued as early as March 10th on the South Fork Crow River affecting Mayer in Carver County.

The first river flood warnings were issued on March 11th for the Minnesota River at Montevideo, Henderson, and Savage. Also, the Crow River at Rockford, and the South Fork Crow River below Mayer, and at Delano. On the 12th, other river flood warnings were issued along the Minnesota River, and the Cottonwood River at New Ulm.

The first flood warning for an ice jam was issued on the 12th for portions of Scott County on the Sand Creek. Other ice jams developed in Scott County on the 13th along the Credit River in Savage. Numerous ice james developed between the 13th and 18th when the rivers started to break up across southern and central Minnesota.

After the 15th, most of the headwaters of the Crow, Cottonwood, Sauk, Redwood and the Long Prairie rose sharply with all of the river forecast points rising above flood stage between the 15th and 21st. Once the ice jams broke up, and most of the headwater sites crested, there were several days where the Cottonwood, South Crow, Crow, and many points along the Minnesota, and Mississippi Rivers rose and held near, or above major flood stage. Most of the rivers crested between the 22nd and the 28th, with a slow fall through the end of the month.

Most of the areal flooding outside of the mainstem rivers occurred before the 22nd, but near the rivers, flooding continued through the 26th. Some of the very low areas along the Minnesota, Mississippi and Crow Rivers had county roads that remained closed through the last week of March.

Damage from the flood waters was mainly confined to ice jam debris, and washed out county roads due to the fast flow and eroding the ground soil underneath the asphalt.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (44.9004, -93.1764)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 222405. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.