Storms start to move out of Minnesota, continue for western Wisconsin

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It’s another sign of the deepening drought of 2021 in Minnesota. 

, Minn. shows the river level at 75.48 feet Wednesday. That’s just a few inches above the record low river level of 75.10 feet recorded in 1988. 

The Mississippi River at St. Paul is running at 3.2 feet Wednesday. That’s a few inches above the record low of 2.6 feet set in 1976.

You can see how much the river flow level (discharge) has dropped in recent months on the 1-year flow chart from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 

Downstream, the Mississippi River at Red Wing, Minn. is also near the record low of 1.8 feet set in 2003. It’s running at just 2.2 feet Wednesday.

There are spotty thunderstorms in the forecast through Thursday. There’s a better chance for more rainfall coverage Sunday. But keep in mind it takes more widespread prolonged rainfall to boost river levels significantly. 

Looking ahead, most forecast models suggest (way) less than an inch of rain across most of Minnesota in the next week. Some lucky spots may pick up an inch or more, but coverage on that magnitude of rainfall appears to be limited.

The European model rainfall output for the next week looks drier than average for most areas.

June is the wettest month of the year on average for Minnesota. Average rainfall for June is more than an inch per week. I’m still not seeing a pattern that will deliver consistent rains anytime soon. 

I’m getting very concerned this drought could be one of the deepest on record for parts of Minnesota if this pattern continues for a few more weeks.

Paul Huttner

Author

Our rivers will likely get even lower. Less than 1 inch of rain for much of Minnesota in the next week.

City of St. Paul

NOAA/North Central River Forecast Center

Mississippi River at St. Paul flow over the past year

USGS

European model (ECMWF) precipitation output

Drought deepens: River levels approaching record lows in Minnesota

Go Deeper.

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