Minnesota, 1997

Flash Flooding in Minnesota, July 22, 1997

July 22, 1997 · NWS MPX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Slow moving thunderstorms deposited heavy rainfall on already well saturated ground. 11 inches in Red Wing.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
7

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.

Slow moving thunderstorms deposited heavy rainfall on already well saturated ground. Morning rainfall amounts included 4.85 inches in Eagan, 4.05 inches in Golden Valley, 4.60 inches in Edina, 3.10 inches in Delano, 4.25 inches in Henderson, 3.13 inches in Hastings, 2.75 inches in Glencoe and 3.11 inches in Red Wing. Street flooding was reported in Minneapolis, Glencoe, Henderson, Bloomington and Eagan. The wet soil caused a small landslide on the shore of Prior Lake. A basement wall collapsed in Brooklyn Park. Interstate 494 was closed in Bloomington and Eden Prairie. Highway 13 flooded in Eagan. 2.69 inches of rain fell at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport resulted in July becoming the second wettest month on record for the Twin Cities.

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 19 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Hennepin

When
July 22, 1:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where
Hennepin County, Minneapolis
Coordinates
45.005, -93.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Dakota

When
July 22, 1:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where
Dakota County, Eagan
Coordinates
44.672, -93.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Goodhue

When
July 22, 1:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where
Goodhue County, Red Wing
Coordinates
44.410, -92.723 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, McLeod

When
July 22, 1:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where
McLeod County, Glencoe
Coordinates
44.824, -94.272 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Sibley

When
July 22, 1:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where
Sibley County, Henderson
Coordinates
44.580, -94.232 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Scott

When
July 22, 1:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where
Scott County, Prior Lake
Coordinates
44.649, -93.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Wright

When
July 22, 1:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where
Wright County, Delano
Coordinates
45.174, -93.963 (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, July 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: 5615261, 5615549, 5615550, 5615551, 5615552, 5615553, 5615554.