Flood conditions easing in southeastern Minnesota; Rapidan Dam store demolished before river takes it away

With no significant rain in the immediate future, flood-swollen rivers in southeastern Minnesota are cresting, and starting to recede.

In the Twin Cities, the Minnesota River at Savage and Mississippi River at St. Paul are both in major flood stage and are expected to crest over the weekend.

MinDOT has information on flood conditions on its website .

How long it'll take for rivers and streaks to finally get back to normal depends on their location.

"Some locations, it will begin to drop fairly quickly," said National Weather Service forecaster Brent Hewitt. "Especially the further upstream spots."

Some of the faster drops will still be several inches per 12 hours.

"It's just dependent on the river itself," said Hewitt.

Elsewhere, officials in Blue Earth County decided to purchase the popular Dam Store and have it demolished for safety reasons.

The store was adjacent to the Rapidan Dam, which has been so overwhelmed that floodwaters rushed around the structure and the home of the store owners collapsed into the Cannon River.

Officials feared remnants of the store could damage property downstream if that building had also fallen into the river.