Minnesota Prairie Roots

Westbound just outside of Redwood Falls along Minnesota State Highway 19 late Saturday morning.

SNOW LAYERS farm fields.

Along Minnesota State Highway 19 between Redwood Falls and the Belview corner.

Massive snow piles still mark farm sites, this one along Minnesota State Highway 19 near the Belview corner.

A scene along Minnesota State Highway 19 near the Belview corner appears more winter-like than spring.

In the shade of yards and groves and northern hillsides, snow banks remain, reminders of a long Minnesota winter not yet over.

In many spots along Minnesota State Highway 19 between Redwood Falls and the Belview corner, snow pushed off the highway (some up to 100 feet from the roadway) remains.

Snow shoved from a once-drifted Minnesota State Highway 19 appears like wind-sculpted waves frozen in place just west of Redwood Falls.

A sign on the west edge of Redwood Falls along Minnesota State Highway 19 advises motorists to check the Minnesota Department of Transportation website for road closures.

In Redwood, the Redwood River appears mostly iced-over.

Flooding along Minnesota State Highway 19 between Redwood Falls and the Delhi corner.

But outside of town, snow melt floods fields, settles in low-lying areas. Frozen tile and frozen ground allow no outlet for all that water. Farm sites seem temporary lakeside properties.

A drainage ditch near the intersection of Brown County Road 29 and Minnesota State Highway 67 southeast of Morgan.

Ditches brim with water.

East of Courtland along U.S. Highway 14, fields are mostly bare of snow.

Between Morgan and Gilfillan, snow cover and flooding increase.

Southeast of Redwood Falls.

A survey of the countryside while driving from Faribault to Belview and back Saturday presents a perspective on the flooding and potential flooding in southern Minnesota. Not until Randy and I drove northwest out of Morgan did we begin to really notice the difference. Our observations of significant remaining snow pack and already ponding water visually confirms the reason for a flood warning in my native Redwood County.

Flooded farm field near Delhi.

Just east of Belview.

East of Delhi, a closure on the Scenic Byway road.

There’s a lot of snow yet to melt, especially west of Redwood Falls. That water must go somewhere since it can’t soak into the frozen soil. And that somewhere is likely into the Redwood River, which feeds into the Minnesota River, which feeds into the Mississippi River. What happens in rural southwestern Minnesota will eventually affect the Twin Cities metro.

Near Delhi.

Temps and precipitation will factor into the flooding equation, too, as winter transitions into spring. I will tell you that Redwood County, on Saturday, seemed still stuck in the final days of winter.

© Copyright 2019 Audrey Kletscher Helbling