Transcripts

ART HUGHES: Heavy downpours swamped Goodhue County Friday night, overflowing backyard rain gauges with more than 6 inches of rain. High water temporarily closed several roads, including two of the main North South highways in Southeastern Minnesota. The main road between Cannon Falls and Red Wing is closed for two to three weeks because the Cannon River washed out a bridge on its way to flooding miles of farmland and several homes. In Zumbrota, the torrent quickly pushed the Zumbro river over its banks. Then it easily pushed past the town's overworked flood control drains and into Brock Murray's house.

BROCK MURRAY: The first floor got you covered. Cars got covered out here in the yard. Neighbors fan went floating down into the field. The other vans got moved over. It looks like about 10 feet over from a tree that was sitting by, and then stuck with a bunch of trees.

ART HUGHES: At least a half dozen houses near Zumbrota's main park were severely damaged by the flash flood. Up river near a campground, the flood pushed two cars into the river's current while their occupants sought refuge from the storm. Rescuers plucked one woman to safety, but a couple in a van were swept away. Searchers recovered the woman's body yesterday, about two miles from where the vehicle was found. The search resumes today for her husband.

The deluge was the result of an uncommon combination of weather factors, according to Ron Sherman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service center in La Crosse. He says strong winds from the South pushed moisture laden air up over a frontal boundary that was nearly motionless. That gave developing thunderstorms a seemingly endless supply of water. [? Swerman ?] says the storms also moved very slowly.

[? SWERMAN: ?] Another problem we had was continued development of thunderstorms that would develop and repeatedly move over the same area. A feature of thunderstorms we call training. You just get repeated thunderstorm cells, go over the same area like a railroad car going over a track.

ART HUGHES: On Saturday night, Southeast Minnesota was hit by a second storm system, only this time the main threat was from wind. Gusts, more than 90 miles per hour were recorded in Winona and Austin. Police Lieutenant Kurt Route was watching the storm from his car on the West Side of Austin. He said he'd just radioed other storm watchers that heavy rains and wind had calmed, and it looked like the town would escape the storm.

KURT ROUTE: And then, without warning wind, it started at 70 miles per hour. Just hit. My visibility went to zero. The squad car was rocking real violently, bouncing down this what would be highway 46 paved highway. And I basically just steered into the storm. The high winds toppled trees onto homes and cars, brick walls and several downtown businesses collapsed. Both of Austin airport's main storage buildings were severely damaged, wrecking six airplanes.

One plane was blown 1000 feet from its hangar. Many of Austin's residents remain without power because the lines were broken or knocked down. Officials estimate the total number of trees blown over is in the thousands. Much of the damage came not from tornadoes, but from high winds that accompany sections of dense rain that push out from the rest of the storm like the Prow of a ship. In Winona, as in Austin, trees blew over onto homes, cars and power lines. Matt Burt is a Winona County storm spotter. He was participating in a ham Radio event when the storm whipped up.

MATT BURT: At one point, the straight line winds were so intense, I felt the right hand portion of the vehicle actually lifting off of the ground, and I've never been in a situation like that. It certainly was a serious situation.

ART HUGHES: Officials expect most residents still without electricity in Winona and Austin will have power restored later today. Some others with more extensive line damage and in rural areas, will have to wait until at least tomorrow and perhaps later this week. In Rochester, I'm Art Hughes, Minnesota Public Radio.