Flash Flood Watch: Waters rising in SE Minnesota

Weather Coverage 6pm

(ABC 6 News) – Hayfield, a city on high alert as roads near the community school are forced to shut down due to relentless rainfall.

With rain predicted to fall over the next two days, emergency officials are reminding drivers to obey the road-closed signs and not test the current.

Flash Flood Watch Live #1 – Rachel in Austin 5:00 p.m.

Flash Flood Watch Live #1 - Rachel in Austin

“If you do have to be out on the roads, just visually take a look and see whether you think it’s safe to drive in terms of just visibility being on the roads, and then if you should come across any of that water, then definitely turn around and go back,” explains Brett Knapp, the interim director of Rochester Emergency Management.

Emergency Management coordinators will continue to work throughout the weekend to keep tabs on rising waters.

River and creek update

River and creek update

Turtle Creek in Austin is currently seven and a half feet deep, but the National Water Prediction Service expects it to rise to over 14.5′ by Sunday. It’s not just the depth that is increasing; it’s the speed of the water as well. As of Friday night, the NWPS measures it at 1,030 cubic feet per second. By Sunday, the creek could flow at over 8,200 CFS.

In Iowa, the Cedar River is around six feet deep, but by Sunday, that will skyrocket to over 19.5′. Regarding flow, the Cedar River is currently measuring at 3,00 CFS, but could hit nearly 20,600 CFS by Sunday. That’s almost 128,000 gallons of water flowing every second.