Summary
Torrential rains fell during the afternoon and evening of June 14 in Goodhue, Rice and Dakota Counties. Hardest hit was northern Goodhue County with reports of six to eight inches. The highest 24 hour total found so far is 8.83 inches from a National Weather Service Cooperative observer located in Cannon Falls. Another volunteer observer reported 8.40 inches in Stanton Township in northwestern Goodhue County. Another observer located in Northfield in Rice County recorded 7.13 inches.
The 8.83 inches measured at Cannon Falls is the largest 24-hour total June rainfall measured at a Minnesota National Weather Service Volunteer Cooperative station in the history of the program. The previous record was 8.67 inches measured on June 17, 1957 at Minneota.
The focus for the heavy rain was a stalled warm front that was draped across southern Minnesota.
The heavy downpours caused flooding in basements in the hard hit areas, as well as rapidly rising rivers. The Little Cannon River near Cannon Falls rose twelve feet in about ten hours and set a new record crest. The Cannon River at Welch was near a record crest by 10am June 15. Numerous roads were closed in Goodhue County, including Highway 52 during the evening of the 14th. People were being asked to evacuate their homes in parts of Cannon Falls.
Public Information Statements and Storm Reports courtesy the National Weather Service.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 1045 AM CDT FRI JUN 15 2012 ...PRECIPITATION REPORTS FROM HEAVY RAINFALL THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING... HEAVY RAIN FELL ACROSS A PORTION OF SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA BETWEEN THE TWIN CITIES AND ROCHESTER...AS WELL AS A SMALL PORTION OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN NEAR THE MINNESOTA BORDER IN PIERCE AND PEPIN COUNTIES...BETWEEN THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 14TH AND THE MORNING OF JUNE 15TH. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2.5 INCHES OR GREATER ARE LISTED BELOW. SEVERAL AREAS IN GOODHUE...RICE AND DAKOTA COUNTIES EXPERIENCED FLOODING. ...LOCATION... ...TIME... ...AMT... CANNON FALLS 2SW (GOODHUE MN) (COOP) 704 AM JUN 15 8.83 IN VASA (GOODHUE MN) (APRSWXNET) 825 AM JUN 15 6.87 IN 4 SE RED WING (GOODHUE MN) (COCORAHS) 800 AM JUN 15 6.52 IN RED WING DAM 3 (GOODHUE MN) (COOP) 600 AM JUN 15 6.37 IN 3 SSW DUNDAS (RICE MN) (COCORAHS) 630 AM JUN 15 6.02 IN 6 S RED WING (GOODHUE MN) (COCORAHS) 700 AM JUN 15 5.80 IN 1 ESE NORTHFIELD (RICE MN) (COCORAHS) 700 AM JUN 15 5.51 IN 4 E NERSTRAND (GOODHUE MN) (COCORAHS) 800 AM JUN 15 5.13 IN KENYON (GOODHUE MN) (COCORAHS) 700 AM JUN 15 4.54 IN GOODHUE (GOODHUE MN) (UCOOP) 530 AM JUN 15 4.43 IN 1 ENE OWATONNA (STEELE MN) (COCORAHS) 630 AM JUN 15 4.18 IN 1 ENE OWATONNA (STEELE MN) (COCORAHS) 600 AM JUN 15 4.10 IN 3 SSW ELKO (RICE MN) (APRSWXNET) 813 AM JUN 15 4.00 IN 1 S HAMPTON (DAKOTA MN) (HIDEN MNGAGE) 700 AM JUN 15 3.74 IN 3 ENE MONTGOMERY (RICE MN) (COCORAHS) 530 AM JUN 15 3.50 IN 1 W VESELI (RICE MN) (COCORAHS) 500 AM JUN 15 3.48 IN 3 E MONTGOMERY (LE SUEUR MN) (COCORAHS) 700 AM JUN 15 3.41 IN FARIBAULT (RICE MN) (COOP) 700 AM JUN 15 3.28 IN ELLENDALE (STEELE MN) (COCORAHS) 700 AM JUN 15 3.05 IN ZUMBROTA (GOODHUE MN) (COOP) 700 AM JUN 15 2.99 IN FARMINGTON CWSU (DAKOTA MN) (UCOOP) 500 AM JUN 15 2.95 IN 3 NE STOCKHOLM (PEPIN WI) (COCORAHS) 800 AM JUN 15 2.88 IN 1 SSW FARMINGTON (DAKOTA MN) 916 AM JUN 15 2.86 IN 2 SSE FARMINGTON (DAKOTA MN) (COCORAHS) 700 AM JUN 15 2.77 IN 2 NNE ZUMBROTA (GOODHUE MN) (COCORAHS) 700 AM JUN 15 2.74 IN 1 SSW HASTINGS (DAKTOA MN) (COCORAHS) 600 AM JUN 15 2.70 IN 7 ENE WALDORF (WASECA MN) (APRSWXNET) 927 AM JUN 15 2.62 IN 1 NW LAKE CITY (GOODHUE MN) (COCORAHS) 700 AM JUN 15 2.60 IN WASECA EXP STATION (WASECA MN) (COOP) 800 AM JUN 15 2.55 IN NEW PRAGUE (SCOTT MN) (APRSWXNET) 835 AM JUN 15 2.52 IN 1 WNW PRESCOTT (PIERCE WI) (COCORAHS) 800 AM JUN 15 2.50 IN OBSERVATIONS ARE COLLECTED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES WITH VARYING EQUIPMENT AND EXPOSURES. NOT ALL DATA LISTED IS CONSIDERED OFFICIAL. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THANKS ITS PRIVATE AND PUBLIC PARTNERS FOR PROVIDING US WITH THIS DATA. PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 840 AM CDT FRI JUN 15 2012 ..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON... ..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS.. 0305 PM HAIL ST CROIX FALLS 45.41N 92.63W 06/14/2012 M0.88 INCH POLK WI TRAINED SPOTTER HAIL RANGED BETWEEN DIME AND NICKEL SIZE. 0328 PM FUNNEL CLOUD CUMBERLAND 45.54N 92.02W 06/14/2012 BARRON WI TRAINED SPOTTER 2 SPOTTED W AND NW OF CUMBERLAND...THEY WERE TO FAR AWAY TO TELL IF TOUCHED DOWN. ALSO REPORTED QUARTER SIZED HAIL 0336 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 3 S MIKANA 45.55N 91.60W 06/14/2012 BARRON WI PUBLIC 0403 PM TSTM WND DMG NORTHFIELD 44.45N 93.17W 06/14/2012 RICE MN EMERGENCY MNGR 10 TO 12 INCH TREES DOWN AT 9TH AND WATER STREET 0458 PM HAIL 6 E GOODHUE 44.40N 92.49W 06/14/2012 E1.00 INCH GOODHUE MN PUBLIC MOSTLY NICKELS WITH A FEW QUARTERS...TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR 0509 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 2 SE FARIBAULT 44.28N 93.25W 06/14/2012 RICE MN STORM CHASER 0700 PM TSTM WND DMG BOMBAY 44.28N 92.89W 06/14/2012 GOODHUE MN TRAINED SPOTTER MULTIPLE REPORTS OF WIND DAMAGE...INCLUDING TREES SNAPPED OFF...BARNS AND LIVESTOCK DAMAGED AND INJURED AND POWER LINES DOWN FROM KENYON TO WANAMINGO AND ZUMBROTA. 0815 PM TSTM WND DMG FAIRMONT 43.64N 94.46W 06/14/2012 MARTIN MN LAW ENFORCEMENT LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED LARGE TREE DOWN BLOCKING THE ROAD...TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR 0844 PM FLASH FLOOD WASTEDO 44.40N 92.85W 06/14/2012 GOODHUE MN DEPT OF HIGHWAYS HIGHWAY 52 CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER. 0844 PM FLASH FLOOD NERSTRAND 44.34N 93.06W 06/14/2012 RICE MN DEPT OF HIGHWAYS HIGHWAY 246 CLOSED AT COUNTY ROAD 26 DUE TO HIGH WATER. 0846 PM FLASH FLOOD STANTON 44.47N 93.02W 06/14/2012 GOODHUE MN TRAINED SPOTTER HIGHWAY 19 CLOSED BETWEEN STANTON AND NORTHFIELD DUE TO HIGH WATER. 1000 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 SW CANNON FALLS 44.50N 92.93W 06/14/2012 M8.41 INCH GOODHUE MN CO-OP OBSERVER 1155 PM HEAVY RAIN RED WING 44.58N 92.60W 06/14/2012 E6.75 INCH GOODHUE MN TRAINED SPOTTER FELL BETWEEN 1630 AND 2330 CDT. 0527 AM FLOOD CANNON FALLS 44.52N 92.90W 06/15/2012 GOODHUE MN LAW ENFORCEMENT HIGHWAY 20...CANNON FALLS BLVD CLOSED IN TOWN AMD SOME HOME EVACUATIONS DUE TO RISING WATER.