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Slowly receding rivers and more rain — when will it change?
The assistant state climatologist says 17inches of rain fell between April and June, making it the 4th wettest on record.
STILLWATER, Minn. — The record-setting rain has some people wondering if the weather will ever turn around this summer.
It has already caused the St. Croix River to rise to the highest its ever been in June, according to Assistant State Climatologist Pete Boulay.
“This river is on its own,” said resident Louis Watson. “It’s gonna do what it’s gonna do, so it’s quite something to see it this high.”
The St. Croix can usually crest in April when the snow melts — not so much in the summer. And that’s making it much harder for Stillwater Mayor Ted Kozlowski to manage.
“It’s completely out of the ordinary,” said Kozlowski. “It’s not really so much about the height, as it is the duration and longevity of this thing that really kind of hurts us.”
Boulay says 17 inches of rain fell from April to June, making it the fourth wettest period ever.
“If we wanted something to break the drought, we did it in style,” said Boulay. “It doesn’t really flood that often on the rivers in June and into July here and it impacts different things, like the 4th of July.”
Kozlowski says the city is postponing the holiday’s festivities and fireworks, likely until the end of August. He says that downtown Stillwater is still open for business and the city will communicate a new date for fireworks and associated events when something more specific is decided upon.
In the meantime, more rain is expected in the coming days and the river is receding much too slowly.
“If this river only drops a couple feet in the next two weeks, and we get a three-inch rain event, we’re going to have to build a 10-foot wall all up and down this park still,” said Kozlowski. “We’re certainly keeping our eyes on the sky.”
The Climate Prediction Center released an update on Tuesday that shows the second and third week of July trending much drier and warmer. But that means those dangerous, hot temperatures will persist out west and far east.
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A man was treated on the beach before being taken to an area hospital. Another person was also treated less than half a mile away from the first attack.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Multiple shark attacks were reported Thursday on South Padre Island during Fourth of July celebrations.
A man suffered a severe shark bite to his leg Thursday around 11 a.m., South Padre Island City Secretary Nikki Soto told The Associated Press. It reportedly happened near Wanna Wanna Beach Bar and Grill.
The man was immediately treated at the beach by the fire and police department and was then taken to a hospital. There’s been no update on his condition or the extent of his injuries.
“Currently, the South Padre Island Beach Patrol, fire and police departments are patrolling the shoreline and utilizing drones,” Soto said.
According to CBS News, more attacks have been reported since then, including another person who was treated by paramedics less than half a mile from the first attack.
Local officials said two people were bitten and two more “encountered” the shark but weren’t seriously hurt. One of the bit victims was taken to a hospital in Brownsville and the other was “flown out for further treatment.”
Based on witness reports and images on social media, Dowdy said, authorities believe a single shark about 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) long was responsible.
The last reported shark attack in the area was five years ago, according to Dowdy.
The Coast Guard advised beachgoers to avoid the water but didn’t close any beaches.
“It literally was, like, right there. Twenty to 30 yards away from the surf, from the edge of the surf. It was a big shark,” Robert Roman said.
It was the shark believed to have bitten multiple swimmers.
“The police were, like, ‘Get out of the water!’ And I was actually bodyboarding and we had to swim back,” Zayvia Abdoulaye-Brown said.
One of the people with less severe injuries recalled what it felt like.
“I just feel, like, this pressure, like someone punched me or someone pushed the back of my leg and I turn around and there’s this shark and he’s turning around and we’re yelling leaving the water. There’s little bite marks on my calf, but I’m alright for now,” Victoria Ramos said.
Moody Gardens General Curator Greg Whittaker said the risk of interactions between swimmers and sharks goes up when there are lots of people at the beach.
“With such a large number of incidents at one time you have to manage the situation,” he said.
He said the sharks are following the schools of fish, drawing them close to shore, and in turn, closer to people.
“Mostly what we’re seeing are just fish-eating sharks that are just going after small fish and it’s just a matter of them going after a school of fish and going through and arm or leg,” Whittaker said.
He said there are things to do to keep sharks at bay.
“If you have multiple people together creating more of a disturbance, it tends to scare off some of the bait fish and spook some of the sharks, too,” he said. “And you also want to avoid times right at dawn or dusk, when there’s a lower light level, that’s when the feeding activity gets higher and you see more of an aggressive feeding activity across the food chain.”
Here’s video that appears to show a shark swimming close to the shore:
A St. Paul parade drew a huge crowd despite the rain, but many are on edge about the country’s future.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Hundreds of spectators gathered on Como Avenue in Saint Paul Thursday for an Independence Day tradition that dates to the 1940s.
The Saint Anthony Park Fourth of July parade went on as scheduled, despite intermittent rainfall, complete with politicians, floats, bands, and children scrambling for candy.
“It’s got that small town old-timey feel,” Ellen Lindefelser, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, told KARE.
Linda Maschwitz, who’s been going to the parade since 1966, said the event is like a reunion for those with ties to the historic neighborhood.
“This tradition I think is Americana at its best,” Maschwitz explained.
But behind the celebration there’s a clearcut feeling of uneasiness, trepidation about the coming months. When asked how they feel about the state of the union, they expressed a worried vibe.
“Oh, that’s a question!” Holly Bell replied, “Hmmn. Umm. Nuh. Nah!”
Her daughter, Tahlia Ewing said the problems go way beyond November.
“We’re very divided and I think that’s something I’d like to see addressed, regardless of who’s president next year. It’s a big issue that needs to get fixed,” Ewing, a local native visiting from Wisconsin, remarked.
David Maschwitz said it’s clear to him much is at stake in November.
“I am concerned about the country. I really am concerned about our democratic institutions, frankly. I think they’re at risk right now.”
His wife, Linda, said she’s hoping for the best.
“We’re bearing witness to some history that is remarkable,” she said. “But I have to be optimistic that there is a bright future for our country.”
Aaron Fraze of Saint Paul was also pensive.
“This is a difficult time. I hope for the best, but it is a difficult time.”
Ellen Lindenfelser said she watched the first debate of the presidential race last week, which created anxiety in her household.
“That was a tough debate to watch. Scared. Scared. Nervous. I watched it with my children.”
She turned to her son Torsten and daughter Liesel and asked what they thought about it. They both shook their heads and said they didn’t like what they saw.
But the holiday is also day for Americans to take stock in the exceptional country they call home.
“We’ve actually been taking time this week to name some of the things we love about our country,” Connor O’Neill said as he sat with his family watching the parade.
“One thing we talked about was all the sacrifices were made by those in the military, so we can be free and have a country where we can do whatever we want for our jobs.”
We also met two international students from Luther Seminary, which is near the parade route, who said they’ve been pleasantly surprised to by what they’ve experienced in the United States.
“I think being in America I’m very happy with this country. I meet with many kind people, generous people,” Rama Yanti, a pastor from Indonesia, told KARE.
“In my country we mainly received bad news about this country, about how dangerous people are here. Since coming here, I know most people are good.”
Her fellow student Alyssa Saleem of Pakistan said she feel lucky to be studying here and hopes to become a pastor in the United States someday.
“When I came here a lot of people helped me, and they loved me, and they still love me a lot,” Saleem explained.
“And they give me space for my education, because in my country we don’t have a good education.”
The interviews along the route on one parade are hardly a scientifically conducted poll. But it’s worth noting KARE posed the same questions to spectators at the same parade in 2023, and found a more positive vibe in the air.
The social media-fueled events have led to hundreds of teens showing up at Becker Park all at once. Police plan to close down park next time.
CRYSTAL, Minnesota — Crystal Police say they will close down Becker Park if needed and turn away teens who arrive by rideshare if they follow through with a planned “take-over” event over the 4th of July weekend. A similar event last weekend led to several arrests.
Crystal Police Chief Brian Hubbard explains more about the nationwide trend in this Q & A with KARE 11 News.
KARE 11: What is a “takeover event?”
Crystal Deputy Chief Brian Hubbard: It’s some type of a social media blast that’s put together for, “Hey, gather up at this spot,” and it’s bringing hundreds of people together into typically a park area.
KARE 11: So what happened here then last Sunday?
Hubbard: Last Sunday mid-afternoon within an hour’s time we had about 300 juveniles show up, almost all by rideshare apps and they just ended up here in the park.
KARE 11: And did it turn into something dangerous?
Hubbard: The conduct was escalating. The conduct was getting more brazen, and then we started having fights break out amongst the different people in the park. At that point we determined this assembly has turned into we don’t know what’s going to happen next and we need to dissipate this group. Last Sunday we arrested 6 individuals for disorderly conduct.
Hubbard says the department is preparing for a social media-fueled “takeover event” being planned again at Becker Park sometime over the 4th of July weekend.
The most infamous example of the nationwide trend happened last year in Manhattan’s Union Square — when a PlayStation 5 giveaway planned by influencer Kai Cenat turned into a riot when thousands of people showed up.
KARE 11: You mentioned this is kind of a national trend. Is it happening at other cities locally as well in the metro?
Hubbard: We know of at least six other communities around the metro, probably more, but we know of six where they’ve had similar events in the last couple months.
KARE 11: Does it seem like these things just have the potential for a lot of things to go wrong?
Hubbard: Yes, I mean last weekend there was a lot of energy. Our concern is, again to the patrons who are here, that is a scary situation for families that enjoy this park… families are not going to want to be around for all the craziness that comes from those who are not here to enjoy the park. And as those groups tend to escalate, our concern is then what does that turn into something more severe? Do we have assaults, is there potential for guns?
KARE 11: So what are police planning to do this weekend?
Hubbard: Our plan for this park is we’re going to stop that mass gathering before it starts. So if we start to see large groups of people arriving by rideshare, we will take the action of closing the park at that point and moving everybody out of this space before they get to that large mass.
KARE 11: What do you want parents to know or to do about this sort of thing?
Hubbard: As a parent myself, it’s concerning that there would be that many unsupervised juveniles in a space like this where there isn’t going to be a lot of good that comes from it.
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