Flooding in Wisconsin, April 4 to 26, 1997

The Mississippi River is monitored at Hastings and Red Wing from the intersection with the St. Croix River south to Lake Pepin. The river reached flood stage around 4/4/97 and crested around 4/13/97. The peak crest measured at Red Wing was 17.2 feet which was the third highest crest ever measured. The Mississippi fell back to below flood stage by the last week of April. Two dozen homes were evacuated in the seasonal village of Deer Island, between Pepin and Stockholm. The river crested at 18.3 feet at Pepin on 4/12/97. Locks and Dams from St. Paul to Red Wing were closed between 4/4/97 and 4/9/97. Highway 63 between Red Wing and Hager City kept open due to slightly lower than expected crests and tenacious Wisconsin and Minnesota Department of Transportation workers building sand and gravel dikes. Many homes on Lake Street in Prescott received heavy flooding while numerous roads from Prescott to Lake Pepin under water. Water reached roofs in Bay City.