ABOVE: A pier sits partially submerged on Thursday on Budd Lake at Gomsrud Park due to the rising water levels on Fairmont’s chain of lakes.

FAIRMONT–The past two weeks of rain has swollen the lakes, prompting a no-wake order as the first mid-90s weekend of the summer approaches.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Jacob Beitlich said a boundary has lingered across the midwest.

“That’s been the focus for repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms that have led to pretty impressive rainfall amounts by the time it’s all said and done,” he said.

A boundary is the convergence between the cold front of drier air from Canada and the warm front of moist air from the south.

This rain has also pocketed, meaning some areas received quite a bit more rain while others got much less.

“We have a seven-day total of 4.2 inches [ending Tuesday] near the town of Fairmont,” Beitlich said. Most locations got one to two inches, with pockets of locally higher amounts. If you go farther north near the Willmar Area, even over to Litchfield, they’ve had upwards of six to eight inches of rainfall.”

While the storms have been reminiscent of those that caused flooding last June, Beitlich said we’re not at that point yet.

“If we were to get repeated rounds of storms over a large area river basin-wide or statewide, that’s where we would be more concerned with river flooding,” he said.

Current forecasts from AccuWeather indicate potential for thunderstorms Tuesday through Thursday of next week. The rain which has already fallen swelled the Fairmont chain of lakes up enough for a no-wake order in place for the near future.

“The waters are high enough to where it is getting into real estate more,” Martin County Sheriff Jeff Markquart said. “They are predicting more wind on the weekend that will probably affect erosion on the shorelines. Instead of adding to it, we did a slow no wake.”

This means watercraft can go no faster than five miles an hour anywhere on the five lakes. Markquart said those driving larger boats should go slower.

“A larger boat will make larger wakes than a smaller boat at the same speeds,” he said. “We get calls. We have already had a call today about tubing on one of the lakes causing wakes. Our main goal is to educate and not so much to write citations.”

For those looking to go out on the lake this week, Markquart said there must be life jackets for each person on the boat, lakefront property should be respected, and watercraft should be driven while intoxicated.

Markquart also had tips for those with lakefront housing or property.

“Get your docks raised and be safe around them,” he said. “If they don’t have it raised up and it’s under the water that can be hazardous. It is in effect until further notice, keep an eye on the Martin County Sheriff’s Facebook page.”

The lake could be a popular destination this weekend, as temperatures are predicted to easily break 90 degrees and get up near 100. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has also relayed information on heat safety.

For those outdoors, it is recommended to limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated. If working outdoors, follow the previous guidelines and take breaks out of the sun as often as possible. For those indoors, check up on anyone you know who is elderly, sick, or does not have AC. Never leave kids or pets unattended in a vehicle, and always look before you lock your car.