BROWN COUNTY — Rainfall of six inches or more in the Marshall area Aug. 15-17 compared to about an inch around Lake Benton pleased some farmers and created Cottonwod River flooding in other places.

“We got adequate rain. We’re in the garden spot right now. We got a few tenths of an inch of rain at a time,” said Lake Benton corn and soybean farmer Bob Worth. “A few miles east of us, near Balaton and Marshall, they got lots more rain in those three days. We’re getting near September. We don’t have too many drying days left. A poorly tiled piece of ground will be wet for a long time. Crops are getting ready to shut down, so the rain is a double-edged sword for some people.”

Sleepy Eye farmer Mark Portner agreed the weekend rain was a mixed bag.

“Some places needed rain, others didn’t. It’ll help finish out the beans and corn for a lot of people, as long as there wasn’t too much,” he said. “There may be a lot of water in fields. You may not be able to see it from the road.”

National Weather Service (NWS) Meteorologist Joe Strus said six to eight inches of weekend rain was measured in Waseca County.

“One observer reported 5.5 inches near Sleepy Eye. Others reported two to four inches in and around New Ulm over the weekend. Some rain fell fast, an inch or two an hour,” said Strus. “Thunderstorms tracked slowly at times, dumping more rain.”

The NWS reported 10.18 inches of weekend rain in Spring Valley, 9.48 in Waseca, 7.64 in Wells, 6.92 in Marshall, 5.34 in Eagle Lake, 5 inches in St. Peter, 4.89 in Lake Crystal, 4.79 in Renville, 4.41 in Comfrey.

Strus said the Minnesota River is forecast to reach moderate flood stage in Morton and Montevideo.

The Cottonwood River above Springfield was measured at 25.1 feet around noon Aug. 18. It was forecast to rise to 28 feet Aug. 19, then begin falling Aug. 21. The crest compares to a previous crest of 28.0 feet July 18, 2016. Flood stage is 22.0 feet.

The Cottonwood River at New Ulm was measured at 6.9 feet Aug. 18. It was forecast to rise to 12.9 feet Aug. 20. Flood stage is 11.0 feet.

The NWS issued flood warnings for the Redwood River near Redwood Falls, Minnesota River at Granite Falls, affecting Highway 212 in Chippewa, Renville and Yellow Medicine Counties.

The Minnesota River at New Ulm was forecast to reach 800.7 feet Aug. 24.Minor flood stage is800 feet.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) rated the Le Sueur River near Rapidan (State Highway 66)very high with areading of 11.81 feet. The Blue Earth River near Winnebago was rated high near Winnebago (CSAH 12)and near Rapidan.

Motorists are advised to turn around when encountered flooded roads. Caution was urged when walking near riverbanks.

Paddling is considered dangerous and not recommended at “very high” river ratings, according to the DNR. A list includes real-time river level guages along all of Minnesota’s state water trails.

For more information, visit https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/river_levels/index.html.