Weather chats with Mark Seeley

Rain welcome after a long dry period in Minnesota

Rainfall totals
Rainfall totals Thursday night.
Twin Cities National Weather Service

Many Minnesotans went to bed on Thursday with the sound of rain hitting their roof. With virtually no precipitation since August, it was welcome. And more is on the way, said meteorologist and climatologist Mark Seeley.

”It looks like starting late Tuesday through early Thursday, we’re going to have pretty good chances for even more rainfall and more widespread distribution across the state, which should bring smiles to most faces,” he said.

Autumn is a critical time of year for moisture in soil to recharge, with the soil storing 50 to 60 percent of the season’s rain, Seely added.

“We really count on that stored soil moisture to keep healthy gardens and agricultural soils,” he said.

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Seeley about the autumn soil recharge in their weekly weather talk.

Listen to the full conversation by clicking the player above.