Minneapolis In Flash Flood Watch Tonight

Sunday morning, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch covering Minneapolis and many parts of southern Minnesota. The watch lasts until Monday morning.

Sunday afternoon and evening rains, it said, could cause flooding. Between one and three inches of precipitation is expected. The same area saw between two and five inches of rain earlier this week.

With the ground saturated and creeks running high, the Weather Service said:

Flooding is possible in low-lying and poor drainage areas. Heavy rainfall in short periods of time frequently causes urban flooding and can wash out rural roads. Any ground that is saturated will add to flooding potential. In addition to the threat of flash flooding, the heavy rains could also result in flooding along area creeks and rivers.

As of this writing, Minnehaha Creek is not listed as having a "dangerous" flow rate of more than 150 cubic feet of water per second passing over they Grey's Bay Dam at the creek's headwaters. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District's webpage reports its current flow rate at 12 cubic feet per second.