Minnesota, 1997

Flooding in Minnesota, April 1 to 15, 1997

April 1 to 15, 1997 · NWS FSD · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Snowmelt flooding continued from March. River flooding on the Redwood, Rock, and upper West Fork Des Moines Rivers peaked during the first week of the month.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
8

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 FSD wrote it up.

Snowmelt flooding continued from March. River flooding on the Redwood, Rock, and upper West Fork Des Moines Rivers peaked during the first week of the month. Lowlands including farmland, roads, basements, and a few homes were flooded. Severe damage continued along the Rock River including Luverne. Damage in Rock county for the entire flooding episode was estimated to be over one million dollars, not including farmland. More specific damage estimates for the area were not available. The flooding abated over all areas by the middle of April.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Cottonwood

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cottonwood forecast zone
Coordinates
44.007, -95.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jackson

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Coordinates
43.674, -95.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lincoln

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Coordinates
44.413, -96.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lyon

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Coordinates
44.414, -95.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Murray

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Murray forecast zone
Coordinates
44.022, -95.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Nobles

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Nobles forecast zone
Coordinates
43.674, -95.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Pipestone

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Pipestone forecast zone
Coordinates
44.023, -96.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Rock

When
April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 15, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Rock forecast zone
Coordinates
43.675, -96.253 (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: 5605468, 5605469, 5605470, 5605471, 5605472, 5605473, 5605474, 5605475.