Flood in Wabasha, Minnesota

Water levels on the Mississippi River rose to near record levels due to a combination of snow melt runoff and heavy rains. In fact, only the all-time flood of record in April 1965 produced higher water than that recorded in April 2001. At Lake City and Wabasha (Wabasha County), the river crested at 20.1 feet and 18.2 feet respectively on April 16, which was the second highest crest on record. At Winona (Winona County), the river crested at 20.1 feet on April 17, which was also the second highest crest ever. Numerous homes, businesses and roads near the river were damaged by the high water, with total damage estimated around 5 million dollars. As a result, Wabasha, Winona and Houston County were declared eligible for state disaster relief funds. Even though the river began falling during the latter part of the month, water levels remained above flood stage until early May.