Minnesota, 1997

Flooding in Minnesota, April 1 to 13, 1997

April 1 to 13, 1997 · NWS MPX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The Cottonwood River measured at New Ulm reached flood stage of 11 feet on 3/23/97. 8 feet on 3/30/97 which was the fourth highest crest ever measured.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MPX wrote it up.

The Cottonwood River measured at New Ulm reached flood stage of 11 feet on 3/23/97. The river crested at 18.8 feet on 3/30/97 which was the fourth highest crest ever measured. The river subsided to below flood stage on 4/13/97.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Brown

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 13, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Coordinates
44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Redwood

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 13, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Redwood forecast zone
Coordinates
44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, April 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5602004, 5602005.