Twin Cities saw record rainfall in May, but June’s soggy start may give way to dry spell

MINNEAPOLIS — May will go down as one of the wettest in Twin Cities history, and June is also off to a soggy start.

The National Weather Service says 5.81 inches of rain were recorded in May at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, making last month the 20th wettest May on record, and the third wettest month of any this decade.  

Statewide, May rainfall was double or triple the average in parts of northwestern Minnesota.  

The rainiest May on record was 10.33 inches, which occurred in 1906. The second wettest was in 2012 when 9.34 inches fell.

How much rainfall did we get recently in Minnesota?

The rain has also been steady during the first few days of June. According to our NEXT Weather Watchers, much of Minnesota saw precipitation totals ranging from a half-inch to 2.2 inches of rain between Sunday and Monday mornings, with a similar range in the metro.  

There were pockets of rainfall up north, with some communities seeing 2 inches or more. A Weather Watcher in Winthrop in southcentral Minnesota recorded 3.2 inches. The southwest generally saw less.

Communities near Interstate 35 and east can expect more rain on Monday, and there’s more rain on the way the next few days before a dry period that could be our longest since early May.

Mike Augustyniak

Director of Meteorology Mike Augustyniak was drawn to Minnesota by a love of active weather, and the opportunity to forecast for some of the most weather-savvy television viewers in the country.