A postcard-worthy Sunday, then a good rain

Another surge of rain arrives Monday night with showers into late week.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 4, 2024 at 9:17PM

The spring of 2024 brought a good rain. “A Good Rain?” Paul, all rain is good! It’s wet and we need it to eat and zip around on our pontoons. True enough.

But deluges of rain that fall from summer thunderstorms run off into streets and streams - it never has a chance to soak into the ground. Dr. Kenny Blumenfeld explains: “This wet spell has had relatively few thunderstorms and ideal rainfall rates for getting the rain into the soil, minimizing runoff.”

Minnesota’s Senior Climatologist says we have a lot of catching up to do. “We still have 10- to 25-inch multi-year deficits in many parts of southern Minnesota. We are still deficient in the total water quantity in our various systems, still susceptible to slipping back into drought quickly if another big dry spell emerges.

Who knows what summer will bring, but Sunday should be glorious with sunshine, a gentle breeze and 70 degrees by late afternoon. Breaking news: Another surge of rain arrives Monday night with showers into late week. Nothing severe. A good rain.

about the writer

about the writer

Paul Douglas

Columnist

Paul Douglas is a nationally-respected meteorologist, with 40 years of broadcast television and radio experience. He provides daily print and online weather services for the Star Tribune.

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