Spring Has Sprung - Watching Flood Issues After Recent Heavy Rains

It is said that "April showers bring May flowers." Well, those May flowers are appearing early across portions of the state, as the spring green-up is underway!

That has been helped by copious recent precipitation, including what we saw this past weekend through Monday. A stripe of at least 2" of rain fell from Saturday through Monday from southwest Minnesota to the Arrowhead, with some locations approaching 3" over the three-day period. Above are two maps showing this stripe of rain that fell across the region: one from NOAA showing airport and other observation sites, and the second showing CoCoRaHS rain reports.

Both Duluth and Hibbing saw record rainfall on Monday, April 27th, with over an inch falling. In Hibbing, the 1.66" that fell was the second-highest one-day total for the month of April. First place was just last year - 1.98" on April 28th, 2025. Records for Hibbing go back to 1931.

Unfortunately, all this recent rain (even going back to last week), along with snowmelt, has been causing flooding issues. The South Kawishiwi River near Ely is expected to go into flood stage over the next few days. According to NOAA, when water levels reach 6.5 feet, "Flood waters encroach on the lowest BWCA Campsites. Swift water currents may be a hazard to recreationalists." There have also been road washouts up in the Superior National Forest, one of which is pictured below at Fiddle Creek (photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service).

Washout at Fiddle Creek-S Brule River Road and Lima Grade. Photo: U.S. Forest Service