The Cook County emergency manager is recommending that people do not drive in the county until crews are able to evaluate flooding and clear debris from county roads.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, three areas of Minnesota Highway 61 are flooded over and covered with debris, causing very difficult or impassable driving conditions. The areas are: five miles south of the Cook/Lake county line, the Lutsen area -- where the roadway is washed out on both sides -- and an area just east of Grand Marais.
Grand Marais resident Stephan Hoglund awoke this morning to find the streets flooded.
"There's three to four feet of water downtown," he said.
The Devil Track River is backed up like a lake behind a log jam, he said.
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"I've never seen anything like it," he said.
The rain and flood water is washing away areas of roads, Hoglund said.
"The destruction of the road will be a nightmare up here," he said.
More rain is expected this morning.
According to the National Weather Service, 4.96 inches of rain fell on Grand Marais overnight. The rain caused widespread flooding across Cook County, with many roads under water or covered with debris. Additional showers and thunderstorms will likely drop another quarter to half inch of rain on the county this morning.
The Lake County Sheriff Departments reported that trees were down and water was across some roads, especially near the Cook County line. A spot seven miles north of Two Harbors received 2.65 inches of rain overnight.
Elsewhere in the Northland, Tofte received 3.63 inches of rain, Silver Bay 3.51, Duluth 2.44, Cloquet 3.5, Hibbing 1.17, Tower 1.5, Port Wing 2.20, and Bayfield 0.9.
