An 1881 record in La Crosse is broken by Christmas rainfall

City within five inches of breaking record at Weather Service office

Area streams and rivers could rise a little this week, partly from melting snow, but also because of the rare Christmas rain in the region. 

The National Weather Service says 2016 just became the wettest year on record in La Crosse, after two-thirds of an inch last weekend. 

That pushed the city’s precipitation total for the entire year to 44.76 inches, which just beat the old yearly record set more than 130 years ago, back in 1881.

And that’s just within the city. At the weather service office on the bluff, the precipitation total is 49 inches. Not a record, yet but, with another .5 inches this week, the weather office could break its old record, set a mere nine years ago.

Meanwhile, high winds are a concern today. 

La Crosse recorded 44 mph winds on the bluff Monday morning. Rochester had winds from the north and west at over 50 miles an hour.

North of there, gusty winds are causing flight delays at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. 

Those 40-50 mph gusting winds were slowing operations at the airport.

Officials there said both incoming and departing flights were facing delays of up to an hour Monday, and just one runway was operating. 

The Minnesota Dept. of Transportation said snow-covered and icy roads were making driving hazardous across northern Minnesota.