UPDATE 12:55 P.M. The American Red Cross has opened an evacuation shelter at the Murray County Fairgrounds in Slayton, Minnesota. The shelter will be open at the 4H Building, 3048 Broadway Ave, Slayton, MN 56172 for as long as anyone needs. Original story Minnesota Department of Transportation officials have issued a no travel advisory for all of Murray County in southwest Minnesota due to flooding from extreme rainfall totals. It began raining very hard in the area overnight and was still raining hard early Tuesday morning. According to the National Weather Service, some locations in the area have received 7+ inches of rain, most of it falling within only a matter of hours. "Raining very hard in Murray County again!" the Murray County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook at 8:25 a.m. Tuesday. Highway 59 from Slayton to the Lyon County border is covered and shut down and Hwy. 14 from Walnut Grove to Tracy to under water, the sheriff's office said. The sheriff also warned residents to stay out of flooded basements because it could cause electrocution "with all the wires in the basement." KMHL Broadcasting's Ryan Rohlik tells BMTN that people in the Lake Shetek area say docks on the lake are three feet underwater and people are being evacuated. This is a developing story.<doc-sep>WILLMAR – Several roads in southern Minnesota are now closed because of high water from today’s rains and a "no travel advisory" has been issued for Murray County because of flooded roads. In a recent update, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said the road closures include Highway 19 at the intersection of County Road 5 to Marshall, Highway 14 from Tracy to Walnut Grove and Highway 59 at 191st St. near Lake Shetek. City streets in Marshall are also underwater. MnDOT said other roads are underwater and motorists in Redwood County, Lyon County and Murray County are being warned to be aware of the situation and to drive with caution. Mandi Lighthizer-Schmidt, public information director with the MnDOT District 8 office in Willmar, said MnDOT is continuing to assess the situation and will provide updates, including road closures, as information becomes available. Lighthizer-Schmidt said driving through water is dangerous and that vehicles can be swept away in only several inches of moving water. Motorists are encouraged to check www.511mn.org for the latest road information. Original story: WILLMAR – Recent rains are causing flooding in southern Minnesota and some roads are underwater. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is advising motorists in Redwood County, Lyon County and Murray County to be aware of the situation and to drive with caution. Mandi Lighthizer-Schmidt, public information director with the MnDOT District 8 office in Willmar, said roads are still open but are underwater. She said MnDOT is currently assessing the situation and will provide updates, including road closures, as information becomes available. Lighthizer-Schmidt said city streets in Marshall are also underwater. She said driving through water is dangerous and that vehicles can be swept away in only several inches of moving water. Motorists are encouraged to check www.511mn.org for the latest road information.<doc-sep>Residents in southwestern Minnesota are stacking sandbags and bracing for more rain after torrential downpours washed out roads and flooded basements. On Tuesday, Lyon, Redwood and Murray counties were dealing with headaches after an estimated 8 to 10 inches of rain fell overnight in some places. As the rain stopped Tuesday morning, many homeowners were dealing with flooded basements and other storm damage. Murray County spokeswoman Christy Riley said the flooding “was a shocker” because heavy rains were not in the forecast. Lake Shetek, north of Slayton in Murray County, was flooding waterfront properties. Murray County sheriff’s office personnel were sent to Lake Shetek and Lake Sarah to help residents evacuate. There were no emergency evacuations, but about 70 children at a Lake Shetek church camp were evacuated and reunited with their parents to be safe. The county was focusing its efforts on sandbagging lake properties for the moment, with help from volunteers. The American Red Cross opened an evacuation shelter in the 4-H building at the Murray County Fairgrounds in Slayton. State officials temporarily closed highways in some flooded areas, warning travelers about the threat of moving water sweeping away vehicles. The Minnesota Department of Transportation issued a no-travel advisory for Murray County on Tuesday morning. The rain came down fast. The National Weather Service reported 7.1 inches of rain had fallen four miles north of Currie within two hours. “If you talk to people that have lived here their entire lives, they’re never seen this much water,” Riley said. Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes said the city is “well protected” from the rising Redwood River. Several other rivers in the area were already flooding as the result of recent heavy rainfall. The weather service said more thunderstorms in the area were possible through Thursday night. Meanwhile, dangerous heat and humidity are expected on the Fourth of July throughout southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The weather service said high temperatures in the low to mid-90s will combine with high humidity to yield dangerous heat indices on Wednesday afternoon and evening. Peak afternoon heat indices around 105 degrees are expected. Heat illnesses are possible for those active outdoors or those susceptible to heat illnesses, such as children and the elderly. Thunderstorms are also expected to develop along a cold front on Wednesday afternoon and night. A few of the storms could be severe with damaging winds, large hail and heavy rainfall.<doc-sep>
SLAYTON - Parts of Murray County received 7 to 10 inches of rain Tuesday morning, leading to severe flooding and evacuations. The lakes area in northern Murray County, which experienced heavy rains last week, was hit the hardest, with campgrounds and roads being completely overrun. “The lakes region really got hammered last week and that water still hadn’t gone down,” said Christy Riley, Murray County Community Relations Coordinator. “Those townships up there were our heaviest hit before, and now it’s going to be catastrophic for the homeowners with water in their basements.” Murray County Sheriff’s Office personnel were sent to Lake Shetek and Lake Sarah to help residents evacuate. There were no emergency evacuations, but about 70 kids at a Lake Shetek bible camp were evacuated and reunited with their parents to be safe. The county is focusing its efforts on sandbagging for the moment, with help from volunteers. The rain came down fast. The National Weather Service reported 7.1 inches of rain had fallen four miles north of Currie within two hours. “If you talk to people that have lived here their entire lives, they’re never seen this much water,” Riley said. MnDOT issued a no-travel advisory for Murray County at 8:51 a.m. and closed several roads. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, U.S. 59 at 191st Street near Lake Shetek and U.S.14 from Tracy to Walnut Grove are still closed. The American Red Cross has opened an evacuation shelter in the 4-H building at the Murray County Fairgrounds. The Sheriff’s Office is warning residents to stay out of flooded basements to avoid possible electrocution from electrical wiring. It expects water levels to rise in some areas as water from Marshall - which was also flooded this morning - runs south. “With the rain in Marshall, all of that water comes through here,” Riley said. “With that, there could be additional levels of rising.” Tuesday’s events at the Currie Street Dance have been cancelled, but the organizers still plan on having their July 4 celebration. The story will be updated. Last updated at 4:50 p.m. Tuesday.