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Community Corner

St. Croix River Water Level at 685.79 Feet; River Now On the Rise

The current forecast predicts a second crest of 687.8 feet; the Stillwater Lift Bridge closes when waters reach 686.2 feet. A live video stream of the flood at First and Buckeye streets in Hudson is available at http://patch.com/buTux.

Editor's note: This is no longer the most recent  post. 

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As of 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, 2011, the St. Croix River water level was at 685.79 feet and rising in Stillwater, MN. The river reached a crest at 686.09 feet on Thursday morning, but a second crest—an even higher one—is on the way.

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Forecasts predict the river to reach 687.8 feet on Tuesday, April 12. At that height, the river will be high enough to force the Minnesota Department of Transportation to close the Stillwater Lift Bridge (686.2 feet) and flood the floor of Buckeye Street Garage (686.75 feet). Flood stage officially begins once the river reaches 687 feet.

Thursday's crest was the 10th highest ever recorded at Stillwater, knocking last year's March 25 crest of 685.93 feet out of the top 10. If forecasts are accurate, the river could get close to the 1993 flood level of 687.9 feet.

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The area remains under a flood warning and Hudson Mayor Alan Burchill has declared a flood emergency in Hudson. See a live video stream of the flood at First and Buckeye streets in Hudson by going to http://patch.com/buTux.

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:

  • 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:

  1. 694.1 on April 14, 1965
  2. 692.3 on April 27, 2001
  3. 692.2 on April 16,1969
  4. 691.1 on April 16, 2001
  5. 690.45 on April 12, 1997
  6. 689.7 on April 14, 1952
  7. 687.9 on June 28, 1993
  8. 687.5 on April 6, 1986
  9. 687.3 on April 30, 1975
  10. 686.09 on March 31, 2011
  11. 685.93 on March 25, 2010

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Editor's Note: The statistics and forecasts from this article come from theAdvanced Hydrologic Prediction Service provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service (NOAA-NWS).

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