Flooding washes over several states

The flood-swollen Blue Earth River near Mankato, Minnesota was one of the most visual reminders of water’s power. A dam broke here Monday in the south-central community in the land of 10,000 lakes..  

Ryan Thilges, Public Works Director, Blue Earth County, MN: “It really was more of a partial failure of the west abutment as the water continued to run around the west side of the dam, and it's resulted in additional erosion and slow cutting, as you can see. We lost the Xcel Energy power substation, as well as a large park storage building and materials that were stored in there.”

More than a foot of rain fell into tributaries that feed the river which led to catastrophic flooding.  Late Tuesday, the torrent finally swept away a house next to the river where rushing water cut into the bank, eroding the ground underneath the home.

Ryan Thilges, Public Works Director, Blue Earth County: “The flows peaked yesterday at 34,800 cubic feet per second. Currently, they're flowing at 33,000 cubic feet per second. With that being said, that makes this the second largest flood ever of record at the Rapidan Dam. The previous second largest flood of a record happened in 2019 that caused significant damage to the dam.”

The Blue Earth flows into the Minnesota River and eventually to the Mississippi River. Flood warnings are in place downstream as far as St. Louis.

South Dakota was also one of the regions receiving copious amounts of precipitation. Sioux Falls recorded 18 inches of rain at the end of last week according to the National Weather Service. 

This railroad bridge in North Sioux City, South Dakota pushed back against the high pressure water flow before eventually collapsing.  Officials with the BNSF Railroad said they are rerouting trains to avoid flooded areas. The new pathways add hundreds of miles to each train trip. 

These images from farther south in Woodbury County, Iowa show fast moving current carrying field stubble and other debris downstream into the Missouri River. The farm fields here are swamped - with only time to offer relief. 

Flood warnings along the Missouri are in place downstream to Kansas City. 

Kelly Nieuwenhuis, a farmer in northwest Iowa says this year’s crop has already received almost its entire annual amount of rain and it’s only late June, a stark contrast to the last couple of years. 

Kelly Nieuwenhuis/Primghar, Iowa Farmer: "We go from extreme drought to extreme flooding in a 12-month period. And, so it's definitely interesting, you know, talking about 2011, I remember that because Interstate 29 was closed because of flooding. And then 2012, we had one of the worst droughts in the country ever. So, you know, tides can change in a hurry."

The area Nieuwenhuis farms is well known for its contribution to making Iowa the top corn state. As quickly as the water came up, it receded - however some damage has been done. 

Kelly Nieuwenhuis/Primghar, Iowa Farmer: “Right here where we're standing, this is the largest producing corn district in the US. And so we've got acres that are hurt and we've got even acres that aren't rounded out. The fringe acres around there are going to be struggling. So they're stressing their yield drop is happening. So we definitely have a yield loss for 2024 crop right now.

Downstream from the heavy rains, rivers like the Des Moines, which flows eventually into the Mississippi, were rising mid-week and communities were already experiencing high water and preparing for near-record flooding. 

More farm fields - some already behind because of extended spring rains - were ponding and flooding along the river's edge.

All of these same communities that are dealing with high water are also being blasted with near triple digit temperatures. The forecast for the weekend is to stay in an active weather pattern with a chance for more severe weather. 

Contact: Paul.Yeager@IowaPBS.org