United States: Powerful storms and relentless downpours swept across Minnesota on Wednesday, sparking flash floods in several counties and bringing chaos to both roads and routines.
In the northeastern town of Ely, residents found themselves navigating more water than pavement. Images showed people paddling canoes through streets usually meant for cars. While canoes are a familiar part of life in Ely, seeing them gliding down city roads was a rare—and soggy—spectacle. The town reportedly received between 4.5 and 5 inches of rain since late Tuesday, joining a wider band of communities across the Northeast hit by the intense cloudburst.
Over in Stearns County, road crews scrambled to block off County Road 157 near Albany as floodwaters surged over the pavement. Central Minnesota didn’t fare much better—several towns measured more than 3.5 inches of rainfall by Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, storm threats forced organizers to cancel the much-anticipated Aquatennial Torchlight Parade—a long-standing summer tradition, according to reports by Kare11.com.
Down south in Blue Earth County, things got even worse. Mankato woke up to spontaneous lakes—entire bodies of water appearing where none had existed before. That’s the impact of 6 inches of rain pounding the area in mere hours. KARE 11’s Audrey Russo reported live from the scene on Thursday, describing submerged roads, soaked basements, and lingering puddles of floodwater. By the time of her broadcast, major roads had begun to clear, but the cleanup was far from over.
Though flood watches have now ended, Minnesota’s weather troubles aren’t done. Thursday brought sunshine—but also dangerous air. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued an Air Quality Alert covering nearly the entire state.
The air, filled with drifting smoke from wildfires burning in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, has turned hazardous. From St. Cloud to the Canadian border, pollution levels are expected to reach an “unhealthy” status. South of St. Cloud, all the way to the Iowa border, the air will be unhealthy for sensitive individuals—especially children, the elderly, and those with heart or lung issues, according to kare11.com.
MPCA officials are urging those at risk to avoid strenuous activity and stay indoors whenever possible.
From flooding rain to wildfire smoke, Minnesota is caught between water and fire—and it’s testing the state’s endurance.
