Status: ACTIVE — Flash Flood Warning until 1:00 AM CDT Saturday, September 19. A Flash Flood Warning is in effect right now for northern Fillmore and northern Mower counties in southeastern Minnesota, issued by the National Weather Service in La Crosse at 11:51 PM CDT Friday. This one is observed and already causing damage: local law enforcement reports trees washed down at Highway 43 from south Rushford to Bratsberg, and flooding along Minnesota Highway 16 between Wayland and Peterson. Between 3 and 6 inches of rain have fallen, with another 1 to 3 inches possible. Flash flooding is already occurring.
This is the most damage-forward of tonight’s three active southeastern Minnesota warnings — confirmed road flooding, washed-out trees, and the heaviest rainfall totals of the night. For restoration contractors, a warning with observed highway flooding is the one that produces the Saturday call surge: stranded vehicles, flooded road-adjacent properties, and basements that filled while the rain kept falling at up to 3 additional inches. This is a live snapshot as of 12:35 AM CDT Saturday, September 19. Conditions change fast — always verify with the National Weather Service for your specific county or ZIP code.
Northern Fillmore and Mower Counties — Flash Flood Warning
Issued: 11:51 PM CDT Friday, September 18, by the National Weather Service in La Crosse (KARX).
Expires: 1:00 AM CDT Saturday, September 19.
Area: Northern Fillmore and northern Mower counties, Minnesota.
Severity: Severe · Certainty: Likely · Urgency: Immediate.
At 11:51 PM CDT, local law enforcement reported thunderstorms producing heavy rain. The detection is observed — officers on the ground have confirmed it, and the damage reports are already specific:
- Trees were washed down at Highway 43 from south Rushford to Bratsberg.
- Minnesota Highway 16 between Wayland and Peterson has flooding reported along the highway.
- This includes Interstate 90 in Minnesota between mile markers 193 and 204.
Rainfall totals so far, per the NWS:
- Between 3 and 6 inches of rain have fallen — the heaviest totals of any warning active in Minnesota tonight.
- Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are possible in the warned area.
- Flash flooding is already occurring.
HAZARD: Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.
SOURCE: Law enforcement reported.
IMPACT: Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas.
Some locations that will experience flash flooding include: Chatfield, Rushford, Grand Meadow, Lanesboro, Brownsdale, Wykoff, Fountain, Lansing, Rushford Village, Washington, Racine, Mayville, Dexter, Pilot Mound, Arendahl, Peterson, Waltham, and Whalan.
Source links: NWS La Crosse office page · the official NWS alert (FFSARX).
Stay safe tonight
Turn around, don’t drown. When you encounter a flooded road, do not attempt to cross it — most flood deaths occur in vehicles, and the flooding on Highway 16 and Highway 43 tonight is the proof. It takes only a few inches of moving water to sweep a car away. Be especially cautious tonight: it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding after dark, and this warning runs through 1 AM.
If water is entering your home:
- Stay out of standing water where electricity may be present. Do not enter a flooded basement until power is confirmed off.
- Avoid the basement until the water recedes and the electrical situation is verified safe.
- Photograph everything before cleanup begins. Documentation matters for insurance — shoot the water line, the affected rooms, and any damaged contents before anything is moved or torn out.
- Call a local restoration contractor quickly. Water left sitting starts a second wave of damage — saturated drywall, wicking into framing, and mold growth — within a day.
What this means for restoration teams
Three to six inches of rain with observed highway flooding is the call profile that restoration owners in the Driftless Area know well: the Rushford corridor floods hard and fast, low-lying homes along the Root River tributaries take water first, and the I-90 corridor between mile markers 193 and 204 becoming part of the warning zone means commercial properties along the interstate — hotels, truck stops, strip retail — are in the damage footprint too.
What to expect from the call volume:
- Commercial calls will mix with residential. When an interstate corridor is named in a flash flood warning, expect water-intrusion calls from businesses along it — flooded parking lots pushing water into ground-floor units, loading docks, and lobbies.
- The dawn wave will be the biggest of the night. Overnight flash-flood calls typically surface between 5 and 8 AM. With the heaviest rainfall totals in the state tonight, the Rushford–Chatfield–Lanesboro triangle should be staffed for a busy Saturday morning.
- Washed-down trees mean access problems. Trees down at Highway 43 from south Rushford to Bratsberg signal blocked roads and delayed response. Quote arrival windows with the road situation in mind, and triage by severity.
- Sewage backup risk is elevated. In small towns, 3 to 6 inches of rain overwhelms combined systems. Ask every caller about odor — that determines PPE, category classification, and disposal protocol.
- Mold clock starts now. Porous materials soaked tonight reach the 24–48 hour mold window by Sunday. Contractors with drying equipment staged and an on-call rotation running win this wave.
The play: stage equipment now — dehumidifiers, air movers, extraction units, moisture meters. Keep an on-call rotation through Saturday morning. On the first call, capture the address, the water source (rain intrusion vs. sewage backup vs. sump failure), and every affected room. Photo-document before mitigation starts, moisture-map every affected room, and keep the homeowner’s payment responsibility clear in writing before work begins.
FEMA & federal assistance
If your home or business is damaged and a federal disaster is later declared for your county, help may be available through FEMA. The FEMA Helpline is 1-800-621-3362 (7 a.m.–10 p.m. local time, 7 days a week). You can also apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or through the FEMA app, and find recovery centers at fema.gov/drc.
Basic eligibility: U.S. citizenship or qualified status, identity verification, proof of occupancy or ownership of the damaged property, and unmet needs not covered by insurance. Apply as soon as it is safe to do so — and document your damage thoroughly before cleanup, because adjusters and FEMA inspectors both work from what you can show.
Looking ahead
This warning expires at 1:00 AM CDT — the shortest fuse of the night, and the one expiring first. That does not mean the danger lifts at 1 AM: with 3 to 6 inches of rain on the ground and washed-out roads already reported, creeks and streams in Fillmore and Mower counties can keep rising for hours after the rain stops, and any follow-up round of storms on saturated ground can re-trigger flooding with almost no lead time. Watch for an extension or a new warning from NWS La Crosse.
The demand window for restoration work opens as the water recedes: water-intrusion calls typically start within hours and keep coming for days as people discover damage — wet carpet that seemed fine, baseboards that wicked overnight, musty odors that surface Sunday. Contractors who run Saturday-morning inspection routes through Rushford, Chatfield, and the Highway 16 corridor will find the work the overnight storm left behind.
Sources & how to verify
- NWS Flash Flood Warning FFSARX — official alert text
- NWS La Crosse office
- weather.gov — enter your county or ZIP code for your local warnings
To verify for your own county or ZIP: go to weather.gov, enter your location, and check the alerts box at the top of your local forecast page — or visit your NWS office page directly.
This post is for informational purposes and is not an official weather warning. Always follow instructions from local authorities and the National Weather Service.