Editor's Note: The video above originally aired June 25, 2024.
St. Paul is preparing for even more rain this weekend that might raise the river levels to record levels.
City Council members declared the city in a state of local emergency at a meeting Wednesday. This allows city leaders to apply for relief aid when it's available.
Rick Schute, St. Paul's director of emergency management, shared the risks of the rising waters of the Minnesota River, which flows into the Mississippi River, at Wednesday's meeting.
"The significant storms that have hit the Minnesota River are going to cause a crest of 20.8 feet that we should see this Saturday evening," Schute said. "That would be our seventh flood on record, it would eclipse 2019."
Back in 2019, KARE 11 reported water levels of more than 17 feet that prompted St. Paul leaders to build a temporary flood wall in downtown.
Now, the city has closed several busy roads in downtown to minimize risks for drivers and pedestrians.
A 3.2-mile stretch of Shepard Road/ Warner Road running along the north side of the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul between Eagle Parkway and Highway 61 is closed to vehicle, bicycle and foot traffic. The closure also includes Second Street from Kellogg Boulevard to Sibley Street and Sibley Street to Jackson Street between Kellogg Boulevard and Second Street.
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