Severe Weather Alert

More severe weather is on the way, bringing with it high winds, heavy rains and potential flooding. In anticipation of the prolonged downpour the National Weather Service in Chanhassen has issued Flood Watch for the Minnesota River at Savage that won't clear until Friday, when forecasters predict the rains will lift.

The area is still in the thrall of the last passing storm system, which thundered through the region in the early morning hours of Tuesday. In a special alert released at 4:30 a.m. the NWS cautioned drivers and residents to expect strong winds out of the east, which could reach speeds of 30 to 45 miles per hour.

After that, a violent thunderstorm is expected to sweep through the south and central Minnesota. The system could bring an onslaught of damaging winds and large hail. 

The wet weather is expected to continue for the next two days, inundating the area with two to four inches of rain. Until Monday, the NWS has issued a flood watch for the Minnesota River at Savage. However, it is possible that the watch may become a warning.

"Any additional rainfall may cause river levels to rise even higher than predicted," the release from the NWS stated. 

As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, the river was at 699.54 feet above sea level, just three feet from its flood stage of 702 feet. At this point, the river is expected to swell to it flood stage by Thursday. At that level, the river waters begin encroaching on Burnsville's Black Dog Road.

The river has already reached its flood stage several times since the onset of spring and summer, most recently on June 1, when river gauges recorded a height of 702.37 feet.