Star Tribune
How bad will spring flooding be in Minnesota? Five key questions answered — and a silver lining
Rivers will rise across Minnesota next week as the snowpack piled up from one of the state’s snowiest winters begins to melt in force.
By Tuesday, temperatures are expected to climb into the 70s in parts of the state. The warm-up, so soon after a late winter storm dumped more than a foot of heavy, wet snow, raises the likelihood of flooding in cities along just about every major river in Minnesota.
St. Paul preemptively declared an emergency as it plans for road and park closures along the Mississippi River; Stillwater has built a wall of sand that’s 2,000 feet long and 6 feet high to keep its downtown safe from the St. Croix River; and Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks and other cities in the Red River Valley have started to plan sandbagging operations.
Here are some things to keep in mind about the flood risk this spring.
Why is the risk so high?
The short answer: snow.
This was one of the state’s 10 snowiest winters on record, with high amounts of it in every river basin. The snow was particularly wet, too, holding an usual amount of moisture, especially in northern Minnesota. The cold spring kept it on the ground longer than normal, raising the risk that it would melt all at once.
The predicted warmup on Tuesday will hit the entire state at the same time, sending water into every river basin, said Craig Schmidt, hydrologist with the National Weather Service. That makes the risk particularly high in the state’s biggest rivers, as more and more water from high tributaries feeds into them.
When is flooding expected to start?
The Weather Service still expects most rivers to crest in mid-April, but that could change depending on rainfall. The warm weather next week could also speed things up, Schmidt said. Smaller rivers will likely hit their peak as soon as the end of the week, while larger ones, such as the Mississippi River in the St. Paul area, may keep rising until late in the month.
What should we watch for?
Rain. Rivers will almost certainly be high, but adding any more precipitation over the next two weeks will compound the problem.
“We know we’re going to have warm temperatures and we know we’re going to have snowmelt that will put us in this flood threat,” Schmidt said. “What would make it a really really bad flood would be adding rain to it at the wrong time.”
The Weather Service expects skies across the state to be mostly clear over the next week, with chances of rain Wednesday in Duluth, Thursday in Minneapolis and Friday in Fargo.
Is anything working in our favor?
One of the few positives of the drought that lingered in Minnesota over the past two years is that most of the state has dry, thirsty soil ready to soak up quite a lot of water.
The heavy snowpack also kept the ground insulated from freezing temperatures. That’s important because if the soil is frozen, it can’t accept water. The thawed dry ground could help alleviate some of the worst of the flooding.
Is there a silver lining to this?
For the first time in two years, no parts of Minnesota are in severe drought. All the snow and water that’s been raising the risk of floods has essentially erased one of the state’s driest spells since the 1980s. The much-needed water will help alleviate stressed aquifers and trees, lakes and trout streams across the state.
“You’ve got to be able to say, ‘Here’s how much we want to spend, and here’s what we want the impact to be,’” Carter said.
During the council meeting, Johnson, the Ward 7 council member, alluded to those statements, saying people have used such language to try to discredit women in leadership, especially young women. This is the first budget from St. Paul’s new all-women council.
Staff writer James Walsh contributed to this report.
After months of maintenance problems and safety concerns in downtown St. Paul’s Lowry Apartments, city officials condemned the building, forcing dozens of tenants to abruptly relocate to hotels this week.
On Monday afternoon, city staff responded to a plumbing leak in the 11-story building at 345 Wabasha St. N. Officials reported significant damage and signs of vandalism, including copper wire theft that left electrical systems exposed. The leak also raised concerns about mold.
To make repairs, the building’s water must be shut off — a move that would leave tenants without boiler heat and fire sprinklers, Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher said in a Tuesday email to state Rep. Maria Isa Pérez-Vega and City Council Member Rebecca Noecker, who represent the area.
After determining heat and water could not be restored quickly, Tincher wrote: “There was no other option than to conclude the building was not safe for residents to stay.”
Property manager Halverson and Blaiser Group (HBG) agreed to provide alternative housing for tenants for up to 30 days, Tincher said. City staff worked with Ramsey County’s Housing Stability team and Metro Transit to help 71 residents pack and move.
Before then, the building belonged to downtown St. Paul’s largest property owner, Madison Equities. After the January death of the company’s founder and longtime principal, Jim Crockarell, the dire state of the group’s real estate portfolio became apparent.
The Lowry Apartments, the sole property with a high concentration of low-income housing, quickly became the most troubled. Residents reported frequent break-ins, pest infestations, inoperable elevators and more, to no avail.
Star Tribune
Metro Transit allocated $12 million to boost security, cleanliness on Twin Cities light rail and buses
They will be soon. With more money to spend, Metro Transit plans to bring on 40 more this year. With their ranks growing, TRIP agents, clad in blue, have recently started covering the Metro C and D rapid transit lines between Brooklyn Center and downtown Minneapolis.
The big investment in public safety initiatives comes as Metro Transit is seeing an uptick in ridership that plunged dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been slow to recover. This year ridership has been a bright spot, the agency said.
Through October, the agency has provided 40.1 million rides, up 7% compared with the first 10 months of 2023. In September, the agency saw its highest monthly ridership in four years, averaging nearly 157,000 rides on weekdays, agency data shows.
At the same time, crime is down 8.4% during the first three quarters of 2024 compared to the same time period last year, according to Metro Transit Interim Police Chief Joe Dotseth. However, problems still persist.
On Nov. 29, Sharif Darryl Walker-El, Jr., 33, was fatally shot on a Green Line train in St. Paul. Just a week earlier, a woman was shot in the leg while on the train and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Earlier this year, a robbery attempt on the Green Line in St. Paul left a passenger shot and wounded.
“Our officers are spending time on the system and sending a clear message to everyone: Crime will not be tolerated on transit,” Dotseth said. “And we will work to ensure those commit those crimes are held accountable.”
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