Flooding rains for parts of southern Minn. and Wisc. overnight; drier and less humid on Wednesday

It's very wet.

We had a rainy Tuesday and Tuesday evening across much of Minnesota, and the rain will continue overnight in most of the southeastern half of Minnesota and through Wisconsin.

As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, the rainfall total for the day was 1.10 inches at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and additional rain is expected overnight.

There were higher rain totals to the south, prompting a flood warning until 2 a.m. Wednesday in Rice and Goodhue counties:

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MNC049-131-050700-

/O.NEW.KMPX.FA.W.0013.180905T0057Z-180905T0700Z/

/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

Goodhue MN-Rice MN-

757 PM CDT TUE SEP 4 2018

The National Weather Service in The Twin Cities has issued a

* Flood Warning for...

Goodhue County in southeastern Minnesota...

Southeastern Rice County in south central Minnesota...

* Until 200 AM CDT Wednesday.

* At 756 PM CDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated

that up to three inches of rain have already fallen. An additional

1 to 2 inches are possible which could cause flooding.

* Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Faribault, Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Pine Island, Zumbrota, Kenyon,

Goodhue, Stanton, Wanamingo, Morristown, Welch and Warsaw.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the

dangers of flooding.

Rochester is among the areas that have seen very heavy rain:

With more rain expected, a flood warning was in effect until 12:15 a.m. Wednesday in parts of southern Minnesota:

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Olmsted MN-Mower MN-Wabasha MN-Dodge MN-

916 PM CDT TUE SEP 4 2018

The National Weather Service in La Crosse has issued a

* Flood Warning for Urban Areas and Small Streams in...

Olmsted County in southeastern Minnesota...

Mower County in southeastern Minnesota...

Wabasha County in southeastern Minnesota...

Dodge County in southeastern Minnesota...

* Until 1215 AM CDT.

* At 914 PM CDT, local law enforcement, broadcast media and public

continue to report flooding across the area. The warned area has

received 2 to 5 inches of rain and light to moderate rain will

linger into the late evening hours.

* Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Rochester, Austin, Dodge Center, Wabasha, Mantorville, Kasson,

Stewartville, Byron, Plainview, Eyota, Hayfield, Grand Meadow,

Elgin, Mazeppa, West Concord, Dover, Brownsdale and Claremont.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause flooding of small

creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as

well as other drainage areas and low lying spots.

In hilly terrain there are hundreds of low water crossings which are

potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded

roads. Find an alternate route.

There was a 4.50 inch daily rainfall report from Owatonna, in south-central Minnesota.

Owatonna is among the areas included in a flood warning until 2 a.m. Wednesday:

Flood Warning

National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN

801 PM CDT TUE SEP 4 2018

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Freeborn MN-Faribault MN-Steele MN-Waseca MN-

801 PM CDT TUE SEP 4 2018

The National Weather Service in The Twin Cities has issued a

* Flood Warning for...

Freeborn County in south central Minnesota...

Eastern Faribault County in south central Minnesota...

Steele County in south central Minnesota...

Eastern Waseca County in south central Minnesota...

* Until 200 AM CDT Wednesday.

* At 759 PM CDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated

that up to three inches of rain have already fallen, and an

additional 1 to 2 inches are possible which could cause flooding.

* Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Owatonna, Albert Lea, Waseca, Wells, Blooming Prairie, Medford, New

Richland, Clarks Grove, Ellendale, Alden, Glenville and Geneva.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the

dangers of flooding.

As we go through the overnight hours this Tuesday night, the heaviest rains are expected to fall from south-central and southeastern Minnesota into Wisconsin.

A flash flood watch continues overnight Tuesday night in parts of southern Minnesota and Wisconsin:

rt0904fwch
NWS Twin Cities

Note that "this afternoon" in the graphic above refers to Tuesday afternoon, and "tonight" refers to Tuesday night.

The flash flood watch continues until 4 a.m. Wednesday in Dakota county in the southeastern part of the Twin Cities metro area.

Updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and updates are also posted on the MPR News live weather blog.

Severe weather chance southeast

The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a slight chance of severe weather overnight Tuesday night from southeastern Minnesota into Wisconsin:

rt0904svr2
NWS Storm Prediction Center

Slight risk means that scattered severe thunderstorms are possible:

Temperature trends

Wednesday highs will be in the 60s in northern Minnesota, with some lower 70s in the south:

rt0905h

Drier air will spread southward, with Twin Cities metro area dew points expected to dip into the 50s during the afternoon:

rt0905dew

Twin Cities metro area highs should be in the lower 70s Thursday, followed by mid 70s on Friday.

Tropical storm Gordon

According to the National Hurricane Center, tropical storm Gordon was making landfall just west of the Alabama-Mississippi border Tuesday evening.

Here are the details:

BULLETIN

Tropical Storm Gordon Advisory Number 11

NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL072018

1000 PM CDT Tue Sep 04 2018

...CENTER OF GORDON MAKING LANDFALL JUST WEST OF THE

ALABAMA-MISSISSIPPI BORDER...

SUMMARY OF 1000 PM CDT...0300 UTC...INFORMATION

-----------------------------------------------

LOCATION...30.3N 88.4W

ABOUT 30 MI...50 KM ESE OF BILOXI MISSISSIPPI

ABOUT 35 MI...55 KM SSW OF MOBILE ALABAMA

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...70 MPH...110 KM/H

PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 315 DEGREES AT 14 MPH...22 KM/H

MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...997 MB...29.44 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS

--------------------

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

All warnings and watches west of the mouth of the Pearl River have

been discontinued. The Storm Surge Warning west of Biloxi has

also been discontinued.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for...

* Biloxi Mississippi to Dauphin Island

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for...

* East of Dauphin Island to Navarre

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...

* Mouth of the Pearl River to the Alabama-Florida Border

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...

* Alabama-Florida Border to Okaloosa-Walton County Line

A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening

inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline,

in the indicated locations. For a depiction of areas at risk, please

see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic,

available at hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation.

Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions

to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for

other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other

instructions from local officials.

A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected

somewhere within the warning area.

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are

expected somewhere within the warning areas.

For storm information specific to your area, including possible

inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your

local National Weather Service forecast office.

DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK

----------------------

At 1000 PM CDT (0300 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Gordon was

located near latitude 30.3 North, longitude 88.4 West. Gordon is

moving toward the northwest near 14 mph (22 km/h). A

northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is

expected over the next couple of days. On the forecast track, the

center of Gordon will move inland across the lower Mississippi

Valley through Wednesday. A turn toward the north-northwest

and north is forecast to occur on Friday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph (110 km/h) with higher

gusts. Rapid weakening is forecast after Gordon moves inland, and

Gordon is forecast to become a tropical depression on Wednesday.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles (130 km)

from the center. A NOAA Coastal Marine Observing site on Dauphin

Island, Alabama has measured a sustained wind of 57 mph (91 km/h)

with a gust to 72 mph (117 km/h). A wind gust of 61 mph (98 km/h)

was recently observed at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.

The latest minimum central pressure estimated from NOAA Hurricane

Hunter aircraft data is 997 mb (29.44 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

----------------------

STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the

tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by

rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could

reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated

areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide...

Mouth of the Mississippi River to Biloxi...1 to 3 ft.

Biloxi to the Alabama/Florida Border including Mobile Bay...2 to

4 ft.

Alabama/Florida Border to Navarre, Florida...1 to 3 ft.

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to

the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be

accompanied by large waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the

relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary

greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area,

please see products issued by your local National Weather Service

forecast office.

RAINFALL: Gordon is expected to produce total rain accumulations of

4 to 8 inches over the western Florida Panhandle, southwest Alabama,

southern and central Mississippi, northeastern Louisiana, and

southern Arkansas, with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches

through late Thursday. This rainfall will cause flash flooding

across portions of these areas.

WIND: Tropical storm and hurricane conditions will continue to

spread onshore during the next several hours within portions of the

warning area.

TORNADOES: A couple of tornadoes are possible tonight near the

coasts of Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.

Here's the projected track of Gordon over the next few days:

rt0904gordon2
NWS National Hurricane Center