Flooding causes Minnesota to be the land of 20,000 lakes?

Throughout the years of living in Southern Minnesota, I have grown accustomed to the ever-changing weather. In the past 15 years, I have experienced the polar vortex, blizzards, and tornado weather. However, the one geological hazard that I remember most vividly was a flooding event from my childhood.

Minnesota has been know to be the land of 10,000 lakes, but when it floods, it seems like the land of 20,000 lakes. When I was in fifth grade, back in 2010, my class was supposed to go down by the river to participate in a pioneer festival. However, it was canceled due to imminent rainfall and possible flooding. On the day that the field trip was supposed to have happened the forecast was accurate and our area did experience heavy rainfall. Some towns like Owatonna received eight inches, other towns that were along the Zumbro River received up to 10 inches of floodwater.

            

Car underwater in Downtown Owatonna, MN. Found image from the Denver Post 2010

I remember thinking that all those pioneers were probably washed away since the river had flooded the park where the festival was supposed to take place. To this day I can clearly remember riding home from school on the bus and seeing large parts of fields filled with water. There were probably a hundred mini lakes on my ride home as the ditches and low lying areas were filled with rainwater. I remember having an odd urge to swim in the ditches since the water looked deep and wide enough to swim in (I resisted).

 

Minnesota field flooded after heavy rainfall. Found image from MPR News

To me, since I was 10, I was fascinated by the flooding and did not take into account the damage that occurred. The days after the initial rainfall, I remember driving through neighboring towns to see many of the houses lined with sandbags. In fact, my grandma who lived in town had to leave for a while since most of her house had flooded. This particular flooding event caused hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and cost 64 million dollars in damage.

Minnesota flooding seems to be a seasonal occurrence as the snow melts in the spring and the ground is over hydrated in the fall leading to the possibility for flooding. Minnesotans have learned to live with this possibility of flooding. And I was never able to learn how to make candles at the park since all of the pioneers were floating down the river.

                

Families lining up sandbags after 2010 flooding in Pine Island. Copyright 2010 Elijiah & Jackie Parker 

Citation

Baier, E. (2010). After the storm: Recovery underway in Pine Island. Retrieved November 28,2020, from

    https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/09/24/pine-island-recovery

Ellison, C.A., Sanochi, C.A., Lorenz, D.L., Mitton, G.B., and Kruse, G.A., 2011, Floods of September

    2010 in Southern Minnesota; U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5045,37p.,

    3 app.