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Flash flooding closed highways in southern MN on Wednesday

By
Minnesota
Published July 9, 2026 8:36 AM CDT
Published July 9, 2026 8:36 AM CDT
article

Flooding along I-90 in Mower County. (photos from MnDOT) (MnDOT / Facebook)

The Brief

    • Flash flooding hit southeastern Minnesota on Wednesday evening as heavy rains moved through the region.
    • The highway remained closed into the overnight hours before Austin police confirmed it had reopened Thursday morning.
    • Rainfall totals in parts of Austin exceeded 5 inches during Wednesday's storms.

AUSTIN, Minn. (FOX 9) - Flash flooding shut down I-90 and other highways across southeastern Minnesota on Wednesday as heavy rains pushed through in the evening hours.

Flash floods in southern Minnesota

What we know:

Flash flooding east of Austin, Minn. left I-90 closed starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The highway was closed between 6th St NE and 11th Dr NE and the Hwy 56 and Hwy 16 exits.

The highway was closed into the overnight hours due to the flooding. However, on Thursday morning, Austin police said the highway had reopened.

By the numbers:

One weather station in Austin recorded a whopping 5.68 inches of rain during Wednesday's storms. Other stations in Austin recorded between two and five inches of rain.

Nearby Ostrander also recorded more than three inches of rain and Ellendale saw 2.78 inches of rain.

Local perspective:

I-90 was also shut down in Mower County last week due to flooding. In that round of flooding, the highway was closed west of Dexter.

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