Flood, Morrison
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Morrison forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 46.013, -94.268 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Minnesota, April 4 to 26, 1997
The Mississippi River is monitored at various points including Red Wing, Anoka, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Hastings.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 10
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 Mississippi River is monitored at various points including Red Wing, Anoka, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Hastings. The river reached flood stage at most locations around 4/7/97 and crested between 4/10/97 and 4/13/97. The measured crest was the third highest in recorded history at St. Paul, Hastings and Red Wing. The River Terrace Mobile Home park in Monticello was evacuated on 4/4/97. 40 residential homes also evacuated in Monticello. Multiple road closures reported in Wright county. The floodwaters accelerated erosion in Clear Lake. Travelers Country Club lost 50 feet of shore forcing owners to permanently move trailers and sheds. Dikes held in Elk River but soil saturation resulted in one basement collapse on Parrish Ave. River Park in Brooklyn Park and Riverview Heights Park in Fridley both inundated by floodwater. The Rum River, a tributary of the Mississippi, flooded homes in the town of Ramsey on 4/8/97. The Rum crested 2.5 feet above flood stage on 4/9/97. Low lying parking lots near downtown St. Paul flooded. Locks and Dams from St. Paul to Red Wing closed from 4/4/97 to 4/9/97. Minor flooding reported in Dayton, Champlin and Brooklyn Center. Harriet Island, Raspberry Island and Lilydale Park closed in St. Paul area due to floodwaters. Three quarters of Holman Field (South St. Paul Municipal Airport) under water by 4/9/97. Shepard Road under water in south St. Paul. Fort Snelling state park bordering Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport closed. Lake Rebecca in east Hastings contaminated because of Mississippi floodwaters. 16 homes flooded in Green Point subdivision of Wacouta in eastern Goodhue county. More mobile homes evacuated in Old Frontenac. The river was closed to boating during the peak flooding.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
10 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Anoka
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Anoka forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.273, -93.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Benton
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.699, -93.999 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Dakota
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dakota forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.672, -93.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Hennepin
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hennepin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.005, -93.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Ramsey
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Ramsey forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.017, -93.100 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Sherburne
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Sherburne forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.444, -93.775 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Stearns
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Stearns forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.552, -94.613 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Washington
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.039, -92.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Wright
- When
- April 4, 6:00 AM CST to April 26, 6:00 AM CST
- Where
- Wright forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 45.174, -93.963 (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
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 4 to 7, 1997
- Ice Storm in North Dakota, April 4 to 5, 1997
- Ice Storm in Minnesota, April 4 to 6, 1997
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, April 4, 1997
- Blizzard in Wyoming, April 4 to 6, 1997
- Blizzard in Nebraska, April 4 to 6, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, April 4, 1997
- Tornado in Louisiana, April 4, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, April 4, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 4, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 4 to 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 4, 1997
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: 5602047, 5602048, 5602049, 5602050, 5602051, 5602052, 5602053, 5602054, 5602055, 5602056.