CANNON FALLS, Minn. - Torrential rains that fell Thursday are triggering serious flooding in Cannon Falls and areas along the Cannon River.
Public Safety officials say as of 6 a.m. Friday the waters of the Cannon River continue to rise and are currently above the levels experienced during the destructive flood of September 2010 flood.
National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Griesinger says 8.4 inches of rain fell Thursday, pushing the Little Cannon River, which feeds the Cannon River, to a crest of 20.4 feet at about 5 a.m. Friday. That breaks the record of 16.5 feet from September 2010.
He says the Cannon River was at 14 feet Friday morning with a crest of around 15 feet expected later. That record is 15.1 feet.
Monitors say since 2 a.m. the Little Cannon River has risen about 39 inches and the Cannon River has risen 28 inches. Water has breached one home along 3rd Street and city officials are notifying residents with homes along riverside streets like Cannon Avenue to evacuate. Firefighters have led sandbagging efforts at several homes
Mn/DOT has closed approximately five blocks of Highway 20 due to water covering the roadway and other local streets have been shut down.
One resident told KARE 11 reporter Bryan Piatt that his rain gauges registered 11 inches of rain at a location not far from Whiterock. Others collected 9 inches of rain but official totals are closer to six.
The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for eastern Rice County, Goodhue County and southern Dakota County.
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