Stormy End to July
Two intense, back-to-back storms Sunday, July 27, 2025, and Monday, July 28, produced between 1 and nearly 2 inches of rain throughout the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD). Water levels across the watershed rose quickly during each storm event, as precipitation fell in scattered and intense bursts.
Isolated storms quickly developed Sunday evening and yielded over 1 inch of precipitation within an hour in the lower watershed, causing Minnehaha Creek flow to increase more than 100 cubic feet per second (cfs) to nearly 300 cfs. About 24 hours later, another storm produced nearly 1 inch of rain in the upper watershed within an hour. Precipitation from the two storms and subsequent inflows from Lake Minnetonka’s tributaries raised the Lake level approximately 1.5 inches to 929.59 feet. Water levels have receded since the storms. The Creek is currently flowing at 186 cfs and the Lake level is 929.48 feet.
In addition to heavy rainfall, high winds led to downed trees and thousands of power outages. Winds were especially damaging during Monday’s storm, generating 60 mph winds in the Twin Cities and nearly 100 mph winds in northern Iowa.
Also in this update
- Water levels rose during July storms, but generally declined through the month
- 2025 Precipitation Trends and Forecasts
- Current Water Levels
- Gray’s Bay Dam Operations
- MCWD Receives Northern Lights Award
- Water Level Resources