Snow, Cold are Welcome Guests in Northfield

While much of the metro area curses the recent spate of snow, the wintry weather is a welcome guest in and around Northfield today.

Given the ferocity of the rain over the past few days, Northfield residents and officials have been busily preparing for the second major flood to hit the city in less than six months. 

But all of that changed late last night when the temperatures dropped and the rain changed to snow. 

"The rain converting over to snow helped slow down the rate of the river’s rise overnight so although the levels have risen they did not rise to the level that the National Weather Service had predicted," said City Administrator Tim Madigan.

And while Northfielders only last week were on the verge of breaking out their spring wardrobes, the dropping temperatures are going to help in the long term.

"It is expected to remain with cooler temps, in the low 30s, for the next several days and possibly into next week, so this will help maintain the water levels," said Madigan.

Northfield Public Works Director Katy Gehler pointed out that Faribault's Straight River, which feeds the Cannon River, showed "a notably slower rate of rise starting about 3 a.m. this morning" and that the water level appears to have stabilized. 

The Straight River guages are currently hovering around 10.72 inches which is significantly less than the 13 inches predicted by the National Weather Service just 24 hours ago.

While the snow seems to have stemmed the rising waters for the time being, Madigan cautions residents about rising lakes, rushing waters and potential sinkholes on area roads.  

"A lot of the streams and creeks that were previously within their beds are now full and overflowing.  The lake levels are also rising and have been causing some problems with the roads right around some of the lakes as we are starting to get reports of sinkholes in some of these areas," Madigan said.