Minnesota, 1997

Flash Flood in Minnesota, August 23, 1997

August 23, 1997 · NWS ARX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Mudslides caused vehicles to spin out and water was up to the headlights of cars when nearly 4 inches of rain fell in two hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
$40,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 ARX wrote it up.

Mudslides caused vehicles to spin out and water was up to the headlights of cars when nearly 4 inches of rain fell in two hours.

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:42 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Winona

When
August 23, 7:45 PM CST to 9:45 PM CST
Where
Winona County, Winona
Property damage
$40,000
Coordinates
43.987, -91.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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, August 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: 5610032.