15 years later: Historic flooding devastates southeast Minnesota

This weekend marks 15 years since historic flash flooding devastated southeastern Minnesota, with Rushford being the hardest hit. 

A series of thunderstorms stalled in parts of Minnesota on Aug. 18, 2007, dumping more than a foot of rain in some southeastern areas of the state. The heaviest rainfall reports came from Winona, Fillmore, and Houston counties, where 36-hour totals exceeded 14 inches. The largest multi-day rainfall was reported at 18.7 inches in northern Houston County, according to the Minnesota DNR's Climate Journal.

The City of Rushford was hit the hardest by the floods, which knocked out the entire city's water supply. Emergency responders had to move through the city with loudspeakers to try to evacuate everyone. There were reports of stream flooding, urban flooding and mudslides.

The flooding was tied to the death of seven people. Hundreds of homes and businesses were impacted by the flood, which caused an estimated $200 million in damages, according to the National Weather Service

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