Torrential rain causes flooding, road closures in northeast Minnesota. Rivers continue to rise

Heavy rain Tuesday evening has led to flooding and road closures across a wide swath of northeastern Minnesota. Street flooding was reported in Duluth and on the Iron Range, and numerous washouts and closures are reported on county and local roads. Flood warnings remain in effect Wednesday from Leech Lake and Grand Rapids east to Hibbing, Ely and the North Shore. 

Rivers, creeks and streams are running high in Minnesota — and most of those eventually empty into the Mississippi. The National Weather Service's Craig Schmidt, senior service hydrologist, said to expect flooding next week.

"We are now looking at so much rain falling in the Crow basin and over the entire Minnesota basin that all of this is going to be funneling through the Mississippi in St. Paul,” Schmidt said. “We are looking at it to continue to rise close to major flood stage by late next week." 

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