Community Corner
St. Croix River Flood Level is Down to 685.61 Feet; Stillwater Bridge Now Open
The Stillwater Lift Bridge has been re-opened. The St. Croix River crested at 687.28 feet on April 12.
As of 3 p.m. on Monday, April 18, 2011, the St. Croix River water level was at 685.61 feet and receding in Stillwater, MN. The river crested on April 12 at 687.28 feet, just short of the ninth-highest crest recorded.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) re-opened the Stillwater Lift Bridge this afternoon. The first vehicle to cross was an ambulance from the Wisconsin side and a steady flow of traffic has been moving across the bridge since 2:30 p.m.
On April 8, MnDOT closed the Stillwater Lift Bridge. The bridge closure has meant additional traffic along Highway 35 (Second Street in Hudson and Sixth Street North in North Hudson). According to the city's website, the three traffic signals on Second Street "have been synchronized with longer times for vehicles traveling north/south on Second Street, to improve the flow of traffic."
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About the water levels
The average water level in Hudson is 675 feet. The following are elevations (in feet) of various areas in Hudson that are prone to flooding, according to the city's flood work plan:
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- Seawall at Lakefront Park: 680
- Second tier at Lakefront Park: 684
- Lowest elevation of Front Street: 684.9
- First Street (between Buckeye Street and Commercial Street): 685.8
- Floor of Buckeye Street Garage: 686.75
- Top of Lake Mallalieu dam gates: 688.3
- Slab elevation at Lakefront Park bathhouse: 690
- Top of Dike Road: 691
- Abandoned railroad bed north of Vine Street to St. Croix Street: 692
Hudson flood history
The highest flood elevations (in feet) in Hudson history (as measured at Stillwater, MN) are the following, according to the National Weather Service:
- 694.1 on April 14, 1965
- 692.3 on April 27, 2001
- 692.2 on April 16,1969
- 691.1 on April 16, 2001
- 690.45 on April 12, 1997
- 689.7 on April 14, 1952
- 687.9 on June 28, 1993
- 687.5 on April 6, 1986
- 687.3 on April 30, 1975
- 687.28 on April 12, 2011
- 686.09 on March 31, 2011
- 685.93 on March 25, 2010
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Editor's Note: The statistics and forecasts from this article come from the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service (NOAA-NWS).
