Some much needed rain associated with a very slow-moving cold front fell during the week of September 9th through 12th. Many places in northern, central and southern Minnesota received 1 to 3 inches of rain with some places getting over 4 inches. The highest multi-day total was 6.14 at Vesta. Normal rainfall for September ranges from 2 inches in west-central Minnesota to about 3.5 inches in far southeast and northeast Minnesota. The significant rain missed an area northwest of a line from Browns Valley to International Falls. Rainfall totals in these areas were mostly a third of an inch or less. Rain was tapering off across northeast and southeast Minnesota Friday morning on the 12th so some additional amounts may yet be recorded. While this rain is welcome, it does not end the drought. It will however help replenish badly needed soil moisture. Many places in Minnesota were between 4 and 7 inches below normal precipitation since mid July.

The image below provides a weekly estimate of precipitation values for the period 7:00 AM, Friday - September 5 through 7:00 AM, Friday - September 12. Little if any rain fell between September 5th and September 9th in Minnesota, so most of the totals here are from the multi-day rain event from the 9th to the 12th. The data are provided by the WSI Corporation's (http://www.intellicast.com) analysis of National Weather Service radar imagery.

Listed below are some measured rainfall totals from September 9-12th 2003.

  
Ada                             0.33
Artichoke Lake                  1.06
Babbitt                         1.75
Baudette                        0.26
Brainerd                        1.63
Breckenridge                    0.30
Brooklyn Park                   2.28
Brownton (McLeod Co.)           2.50
Buffalo                         3.03
Chanhassen                      2.01
Chaska                          2.14
Cook (St. Louis Co.)            2.93
Crosslake                       2.27
Embarrass                       2.70
Fairmont                        2.43
Floodwood                       3.10
Forest lake                     2.20
Fosston                         0.36
Fridley                         1.70
Hinckley                        2.00
Hutchinson                      3.26
Lafayette (Nicollet Co.)        2.61
Lake City                       0.32
Lakefield                       1.42
Leech Lake                      0.76
Littlefork                      0.52
Long Prairie                    1.65
Maplewood                       1.79
Marshall                        3.37
Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport    1.47
Montevideo                      3.69
Montgomery                      1.81
Morris                          1.99
New York Mills                  0.28
North St. Paul                  2.12
Preston                         0.70
Rochester                       0.23
Saint Cloud Airport             3.52
Saint Cloud State University    3.39
Springfield                     1.95
Stillwater                      1.33
Tower 3S                        3.10
U of M St. Paul                 1.43
Vesta                           6.14
Warren                          0.06
Warroad                         0.46
Worthington                     3.18

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URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/soaker030909-12.htm
Last modified: September 30, 2003