Flood — Wilkin, Minnesota

1997-04-05 to 1997-04-08 · Wilkin, Minnesota

Wider weather episode

The rising Red River filled half the city of Breckenridge with water, which froze in place as the temperature dropped. Floodfighters had to work in the middle of the blizzard to try to save parts of the city. A record level was set on the Red River in Wahpeton on the 6th. A 29 year-old woman and her 3 year-old daughter died from exposure on April 8th, when the car she was driving went into a flooded creek. They managed to get out of the car, but could not reach the closest farmhouse. The woman was driving around road closed signs, trying to find a quicker way home. The governor of Minnesota declared the Red River Valley a state disaster area, which later received a Presidential disaster declaration.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5591899. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.