Flood, Brown
- When
- March 23, 6:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Minnesota, March 23 to 31, 1997
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 in New Ulm.
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
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 in New Ulm. Above normal temperatures during the last two weeks of March in combination with a deep snowpack and above normal precipitation resulted in the flooding.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Redwood
- When
- March 23, 6:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM 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, March 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: 5602407, 5602408.