Minnesota WeatherTalk

Wetness Continues in July: Many climate observers have reported heavy rains again this month, especially in west-central and southeastern Minnesota. Areas in Wabasha and Winona Counties have reported over 6 inches of rain so far this month, and in the west Montevideo and Alexandria have reported over 5.5 inches of rain so far. Within the statewide climate station network there have been at least 28 new daily record rainfalls set so far this month. In this context, I thought it would be good to compare some year-to-date precipitation amounts with our climate history. The wettest year-to-date statewide average precipitation (Jan 1-Jul 23) was in 1993 with a value of 21.20 inches. Here are the top 5 historically: 1993 21.20” 1897 20.61” 1999 20.48” 1953 20.46” 2014 20.31” The value for the statewide average precipitation in 2024 so far is a new record 21.22 inches . This is a remarkable high number considering that we started the year with January and February delivering below norma...

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Wet and Cool July Pattern About to Change: July continues to be somewhat cooler than normal (1°F to 3°F below normal) and certainly wetter than normal so far, especially in west-central and southeastern counties. Many climate observers have already reported over 2.5 inches of rain so far. Portions of Olmsted, Freeborn, and Winona Counties have reported over 4 inches of rain. Within the state climate reporting network over a dozen new daily rainfall amounts have been reported mostly from spotty thunderstorms. Some examples: 2.36 inches at Baudette (Lake of the Woods County) on July 1st 2.15 inches at Waskish (Beltrami County) on July 2nd 2.20 inches at Bruno (Pine County) on July 5th 1.90 inches at Zumbrota (Goodhue County) on July 5th 1.70 inches at Litchfield (Meeker County) on July 5th 1.60 inches at Lamberton (Redwood County) on July 10th 2.10 inches at Milaca (Mille Lacs County) on July 10th With the addition of a wet start to July there are over a dozen climate stations that n...

Precipitation for the first half of 2024: The first few days of July have started cooler and wetter than normal. The wetness signature carries on a 3-month long trend. After starting the year with three drier than normal months (Jan-Mar), Minnesota reported a record-setting wet April through June with unsurpassed surplus of precipitation. Over 120 climate stations have already reported over 25 inches of precipitation through the first half of the year. Communities in Rice, Faribault, and Wabasha Counties have reported over 30 inches of precipitation so far. At least 60 communities are reporting 2024 precipitation amounts that are from 6 to 12 inches above normal. As we look around the state the annual normal precipitation varies from around 24 inches in northwestern counties to as high as 37 inches in southeastern counties. Many climate stations already report between 70 to 90 percent of normal annual precipitation, and the year is only half concluded! Even if precipitation is c...