Flood — Norman, Minnesota

2002-06-09 to 2002-06-30 · Norman, Minnesota

Wider weather episode

Heavy rainfall on the 8th and 9th caused widespread flooding over Norman county. Unofficial reports of up to 12 inches of rain were received. This caused the Wild Rice River at Twin Valley to rise to a level of 17.4 feet on the 9th. The Wild Rice River peaked at Hendrum on the 13th at 28.02 feet. At Shelly, the Marsh River rose to 24.92 feet on the 12th. Another round of heavy rain fell on the 22nd and 23rd, causing the rivers to surge once again. Once again, reports of 8 to 12 inches of rain were received. This time, the Wild Rice River at Twin Valley rose to 18.95 feet on the 24th, a new record stage. At Hendrum, the river rose back to 26.48 feet on the 28th. At Shelly, the Marsh River rose back to 24.37 feet on the 27th. Governor Ventura called out the National Guard to help in the county's flood fight. Ada, Twin Valley, and Hendrum had fought record flooding back in the spring of 1997 and summer flooding in 2000. The flooding was not only confined to the rivers, but thousands of acres of cropland were flooded due to overland flooding. An estimated 100,000 acres of crops were destroyed. 80 percent of the roads and bridges in the county sustained damage valued at $1.7 million dollars. County watershed projects were also damaged, at a cost of around $1 million dollars. The Heiberg Dam near Twin Valley was quickly eliminated, as the power of the river created a new channel around the dam. Norman county received a Presidential disaster declaration.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5301424. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.