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2002 Twin Cities Precipitation Total Advances Towards Annual Record?
2002 was the 4th wettest year on record in the Twin Cities. The modern-era record begins in 1891. 2002 started dry and ended dry with very wet summer months. 38.45 inches of precipitation fell in the Twin Cities, 9.04 inches above the historical average. The wettest year on record is 40.15 inches, observed in 1911. Normal annual precipitation (1971-2000) for the Twin Cities is 29.41 inches. Some locations in the northern and western Twin Cities metropolitan area received over 40 inches of precipitation for the year. Listed below are the top ten annual precipitation totals for the Twin Cities plus statistics for 2002. Historical data used for this narrative come from the downtown Minneapolis office of the U.S. Weather Bureau (1891-1938), and the Twin Cities International Airport (1938-present). Top Ten Wettest Years for Minneapolis/St. Paul Rank Year Amount
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1 1911 40.15
2 1965 39.94
3 1983 39.07
4 2002 38.45
5 1968 37.93
6 1984 36.95
7 1892 36.72
8 1991 36.69
9 1986 36.62
10 1903 36.19
2002 Monthly Data
Total Normal Departure
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January .46 1.04 -.58
February .36 .79 -.43
March 1.38 1.86 -.48
April 3.23 2.31 +.92
May 2.83 3.24 -.41
June 8.30 4.34 +3.96
July 5.19 4.04 +1.15
August 8.30 4.05 +4.25
September 3.89 2.69 +1.20
October 4.21 2.11 +2.10
November .09 1.94 -1.85
December .21 1.00 -.79
Annual 38.45 29.41 +9.04
values are in inches
June 2002 ranked as the 5th wettest June on record and August 2002 ranked as the
3rd wettest August on record in the Twin Cities. November tied for the 4th driest.
December tied for the 10th driest.
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