Central Minnesota Heavy Rain on August 25-26
A late night and early morning heavy rainfall event dumped 2-8 inches of rain on central Minnesota. The reason was a very slow moving cold front, since the upper-air storm pushing this system had stalled in southern Manitoba, and extremely humid air (dew points in the 70's) feeding northward, despite a lot of clouds over Minnesota.
This rain partially relieved a 100 day dry spell that had produced rainfall deficits of 20%-30% (up to 4 inches) since mid-June.
Below is a table of the official National Weather Service and cooperative reports:
| Station | Rainfall ending 8 AM 26 August |
Highest One Hour Rainfall |
| Brooten Co-op Report | 6.50 inches | |
| New London Co-op Report | 5.52 inches | |
| Carlos Co-op Report (5 mi NNE of Alexandria) | 5.45 inches | |
| Glenwood Co-op Report | 5.00 inches | |
| Alexandria/Chandler Airport | 4.38 inches | 2.38 inches |
| Normal August Rainfall for Saint Cloud | 3.93 inches | |
| Glenwood Municipal Airport | 3.93 inches | 1.50 inches |
| Benson Municipal Airport | 3.24 inches | 0.96 inch |
| Princeton Municipal Airport | 3.12 inches | 2.43 inches |
| Willmar/Rice Airport | 2.97 inches | 1.35 inches |
| Saint Cloud State University Co-op Report | 2.86 inches | |
| Litchfield Co-op Report | 2.63 inches | |
| Willmar Co-op Report | 2.50 inches | |
| Long Prairie Co-op Report | 2.40 inches | |
| Saint Cloud Regional Airport | 2.28 inches | 1.57 inches |
| Dassel Co-op Report | 2.06 inches | |
| Little Rock Lake Co-op Report | 2.06 inches | |
| Crystal Airport | 2.03 inches | 0.98 inch |
| Buffalo Municipal Airport | 2.13 inches | 1.23 inches |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul Int'l Airport | 1.99 inches | 1.00 inch |
| Rush City Municipal Aiport | 1.99 inches | 1.05 inch |
| Chanhassen NWS Office | 1.90 inches | |
| Paynesville Municipal Airport | 1.74 inches | 1.01 inches |
| Hutchinson Municipal Airport | 1.72 inches | 0.73 inch |
| Eden Prairie/Flying Cloud Airport | 1.70 inches | 1.15 inches |
| Cambridge Municipal Airport | 1.70 inches | 0.76 inch |
| Mora Co-op Report | 1.66 inches | |
| Litchfield Municipal Airport | 1.65 inches | 0.50 inch |
| Little Falls Co-op Report | 1.49 inches | |
| Isle Co-op Report | 1.38 inches | |
| Maple Lake Municipal Airport | 1.35 inches | 0.76 inch |
| Mora Municipal Airport | 1.23 inches | |
| Onamia Co-op Report | 1.22 inches | |
| Olivia Regional Airport | 0.96 inch | 0.30 inch |
| Redwood Falls Municipal Airport | 0.75 inch | 0.44 inch |
| Brainerd/Wieland Airport | 0.47 inch | |
| Park Rapids Municipal Airport | 0.25 inch |
More incredibly, the Saint Cloud Airport recorded 1.57 inches of rain between 2 and 3 AM with 1.09 inch in 23 minutes. That rainfall rate is what made a lot of the rain go into flooding rather than soak into the soil.
However, this rainfall won't set any records in Saint Cloud. The August 26 record rainfall is 2.70 inches, set in 1995. So, the SCSU total would have beaten this record, but the Airport did not get as much, keeping the record intact. Note that the daily record for yesterday is nearly three and a half inches.
The Saint Cloud Airport rainfall totals did not rank in the 10 heaviest rainfalls on record. However, since the SCSU rain gauge began reports in 1990, last night's 2.84 inches of rain was the 7th highest 24-hour rainfall total. The Saint Cloud area actually has had quite a few of its highest 24-hour rainfall totals during the last 5 years. The most recent heavy rain was the 3.54 inches which fell in April 16-17, 2003. The last time that the Saint Cloud area had rainfall like in Alexandria was in September 5-6, 2002 when four-plus inches of rain on September (the 6th heaviest rainfall in Saint Cloud history). Note also that SCSU recorded more than three and a half inches of rain two other dates in 2002 (10 July and 3-4 August). The 10 July 2002 rainfall event produced more than 4 inches of rain, with more than two and three-quarters inches of rain in less than 90 minutes in a swath from Willmar and Sauk Centre through Saint Cloud and Foley. There was widespread flood damage from this rainfall in Saint Cloud.
Here is a map of all rainfall reports, including 8 inches of rain in northeastern Kandiyohi County, from the State Climatology Office.
Return to Ultimate Saint Cloud Climate Page
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