MARSHALL - They planned to do some mowing Thursday, but rowing was more in order as it turned out.
RoseAdele and Ed Marks of North 7th Street in Marshall saw a lake Thursday morning in their backyard where there usually isn't one.
"We got three-and-a-quarter inches," RoseAdele Marks said.
The Marks were not alone in their experience.
In Marshall, the wastewater treatment plant recorded 3.61 inches of rain overnight Wednesday into Thursday. Across the area water flooded ditches and poured into drainage sewers long after the rain had stopped.
According to the National Weather Service, three to five inches of rain fell across the region Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Runoff from the heavy rains drained into the Redwood River, forcing its level to rise to over 12 feet Thursday morning. As a result, the NWS issued a flood warning for Lyon County and expects the river to break the 14-foot flood stage today.
If the river rises over the flood stage, minor flooding of low-lying areas near the river are expected. Though slight flooding may occur, officials said Marshall will be mostly unaffected by the rising water.
"I really don't think anything much will happen in Marshall," Lyon County Emergency Management Director Tammy VanOverbeke said. "I think our mitigation efforts will be proven effective."
The weather service reported that sections of the Redwood River near Russell could also flood as the river continues to rise today. Brian Buchert, with the city of Russell, estimated the city received about four inches of rain and had caused the river to rise.
"It's about double what it has been," Buchert said. "It's still in the banks, but it's moving rapidly."
The fire department in Russell had been notified in case a problem arises, but Buchert said that it would take double that amount of rain to send the river over its banks.
In Lynd, the town received about four inches of rain, but few issues were reported.
"The maintenance guy said ditches were full at about 4 (a.m)," Faye Angrimson, the Lynd city clerk, said. "They started to drain later in the morning."
In Granite Falls, the effects of the storms were less severe. Bill Lavin, city administrator, said they received a warning about the storm from the weather service Wednesday night, but that only an about an inch of rain was recorded in the city.
"We haven't had any calls coming in here with an issues," Lavin said.
With more rain expected Thursday into Friday, officials will be keeping a close eye on the Redwood.
"If we get more rain things are going to look a lot different," Angrimson said.
VanOverbeke said she toured the county looking for trouble spots, but did not anticipate any significant flooding.
"I think there will be localized flooding," VanOverbeke said. "But I don't see there being any big trouble spots. If we do have something it will be for a short time."
With the weather forecast looking bright leading into the weekend, river levels are expected to recede, but the flood warning remains in effect until Sunday morning.
Karin Elton contributed to this story.
