Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Soaker: Biggest rainfall of the year so far for southern Twin Cities

Between 2 and nearly 4 inches of rain fell across parts of central Minnesota Tuesday morning

Rainfall reports Tuesday morning
Rainfall reports Tuesday morning.
Twin Cities National Weather Service

Strong thunderstorms Tuesday morning brought the heaviest rainfall of 2021 so far to many locations in the southern Twin Cities and parts of south-central Minnesota.

There were puddles. The grass looks greener. And Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis is reportedly flowing again.

Rainfall reports and Doppler storm total rainfall images show some multi-inch bands of rainfall from western Minnesota into the southern Twin Cities.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport picked up 1.39 inches of rainfall early Tuesday. That’s an impressive daily rainfall total in any year. But in the drought year of 2021, it marks the highest daily rainfall total of the year so far.

Farther south, 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in and around Lakeville, Red Wing and Northfield.

The central and northern Twin Cities also got wet, but generally recorded less rainfall than the southern Twin Cities.

Here’s a list of the highest rainfall totals in Minnesota Tuesday morning. Keep in mind additional rainfall may have fallen after some of these reports came in early Tuesday morning.

Rainfall totals
Rainfall totals Tuesday.
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network