10 in of rain soak Midwest

Photo: The Canadian Press

Several Midwestern states were a soggy mess Thursday after up to 10 inches of rain fell in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa and triggered mudslides that caused one death.

Washed-out railroad tracks derailed a train in southwestern Wisconsin, where a mudslide destroyed a house and killed the man inside. Crews built dams to protect a cheese cave and a woolen mill in southern Minnesota. And in northern Iowa, about 100 people were evacuated from their apartments.

The rain mostly moved through the states Wednesday evening and early Thursday, though another round was in the forecast for northern Iowa on Thursday night. While much of the water began to recede or drain Thursday, its effects could be found throughout the area.

Mud pushed a home onto Wisconsin State Highway 35 in Vernon County on Thursday morning. It took search and rescue crews until the afternoon to find his body, emergency management officials said. His name was not immediately released.

About 40 miles south in Crawford County, two BNSF Railway locomotives and five cars derailed. The crew wasn't injured, but one of the fuel tanks ruptured, spilling about 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel — some into the Mississippi River, the railroad said. BNSF crews placed booms downstream to capture the fuel. Wisconsin emergency officials said 15 people who lived nearby were evacuated as a precaution.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency for 13 counties to help local governments pay for the costs of damage and cleanup to public infrastructure.

In Minnesota, the northern suburbs in the Twin Cities area saw up to 10 inches of rain. Seventy miles south, Waseca saw nearly 14 inches of rain over two days. Basements were flooded across the community, and several residents were evacuated.