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‘My hat weighs about 10 pounds’

Steady rain drops up to 5 inches of water in some local areas by early Monday

-Messenger photo by Joe Sutter
Leighton Walker’s patrol car waits at the corner of A Street and Second Avenue North, where the road was blocked due to temporary flooding Monday morning. Working in such conditions means the officers and city crews will get soaked. “My hat weighs about 10 pounds,” Walker said

The clouds dumped 5 inches of rain on the Fort Dodge area Monday by 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

While there was some area flooding, Webster County Emergency Management Coordinator Scott Forbes said there weren’t any major flooding incidents.

“Just our standard water where it builds up for a little period of time,” he said.

Other parts of the state, such as southwestern Iowa, experienced more flooding, but Forbes said by early afternoon the flooding had leveled off or was starting to go down.

In Fort Dodge, one of those heavy flooding areas was at the west end of town where A Street meets Second Avenue North, near the Webster County Freedom Rock and the Fort Dodge Country Club.

-Messenger photo by Anita Gribble
The 15th Street and 15th Avenue intersection in Manson flooded.

Not only did deep water make the road impassible, but heavy winds blew over one of the road closed signs that Fort Dodge city crews put up — unless someone deliberately moved it.

Fort Dodge Police Officer Leighton Walker was out in the rain Monday morning, using his patrol car to keep motorists from driving through until the sign could be propped up with some sandbags.

Working on Monday meant you, and your clothes, were going to get soaked.

“My hat weighs about 10 pounds,” Walker said.

Residents reported 5 inches in rain gauges in Barnum as early as 7 a.m., and 3 inches in Manson by 10 a.m.

-Messenger photo by Joe Sutter
A road closed sign has blown over along A Street at the west end of Fort Dodge Monday morning. After heavy rains, deep water prevented entrance to this side of town from Second Avenue North. Fort Dodge Police Officer Leighton Walker kept an eye on the corner to keep people from driving that way until city workers could respond with sand bags.

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