Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Soaker: 1 to 2-inch rainfall totals recorded eastern Twin Cities

More than an inch of rain in east metro. Accumulating snow up north.

Storm total precipitation estimates from Twin Cities radar
Storm total precipitation estimates from Twin Cities radar
NOAA via Weather Underground

Our midweek March rainstorm is piling up some impressive rainfall totals around the Twin Cities. The heaviest totals favor the eastern Twin Cities. Rain is still falling as of midday, and several locations have picked up more than an inch of rain already.

The map below shows rainfall totals. It is generated by CoCoRaHS, an acronym for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network.

Rainfall reports
Rainfall reports
CoCoRaHS

It should be noted that not all totals are current, and some report only rainfall received through the early morning hours. So expect these totals to increase by the time the storm wraps up later today.

Here are some specific rainfall totals so far.

  • MSP Airport 1.43 inches

  • Woodbury 1.43 inches

  • West St. Paul 1.46 inches

  • Rosemount 1.5 inches

  • New Prague 1.55 inches

The Doppler radar storm total precipitation map confirms the heaviest rainfall in the eastern Twin Cities. Doppler now estimates a swath of 1 to more than 2 inches of rainfall (yellow and orange) from southern Minnesota through the eastern Twin Cities.

Storm total precipitation estimates from Twin Cities radar
Storm total precipitation estimates from Twin Cities radar
NOAA via Weather Underground

Rain winds down

The rain in the Twin Cities area will wind down from west to east as the storm pulls away late this afternoon. Snow will continue into the evening across northeast Minnesota. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km resolution model shows the system’s progress between noon and 6 p.m. this evening.

NOAA NAM 3 km model from noon to 6 pm
NOAA NAM 3 km model from noon to 6 pm
NOAA via tropical tidbits

In northern Minnesota snow is accumulating. The snow will taper off later this evening.

Snowfall totals
Expected snowfall totals
Duluth National Weather Service

The sun will return to Minnesota on Thursday.