St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - Gov. Mark Dayton today submitted a formal request to the White House asking President Trump to issue a major federal disaster declaration for Minnesota communities hit hard by severe storms and flooding between June 15th and July 12th.

The governor's request details damage from heavy rains, tornadoes, straight-line winds and widespread flooding in 36 counties and three tribal nations in Minnesota. The list covers large areas of western and northern Minnesota and includes Blue Earth, Faribault, Nicollet, Brown and Sibley counties in south-central Minnesota

The early summer of 2018 was exceptionally stormy and rainy in Minnesota,” Governor Dayton wrote. “Parts of the state received as much as 400 percent of normal rainfall during that period. The system repeatedly generated severe storms every 24 to 72 hours that produced deluge rains, strong winds, tornadoes, and flooding. Nationally, meteorologists referred to the hot, humid, high pressure ridge that kept this pattern in place over Minnesota for nearly a month as a ‘ring of fire.’”

The paperwork submitted with the request indicates preliminary assessments estimated the eligible damages at over $21 million, which is well above the $7.7 million threshold established by the federal government.

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