Twin Cities metro records seventh-wettest July

It may not seem like it, but July 2015 will go down as one of the wettest in the Twin Cities.  Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, the official recording station for the metro, recorded 7.32” of rain during the month of July, scooting into 7th place on the all-time monthly wet list since precipitation records began in 1871.  But if you were to ask many Minnesotans, I doubt they would guess that this was such a wet month.

There is a misconception because rainfall events have been very well timed, many coming overnight, and just 1 multiday rain event.  But it may also be there because this is what many of us would expect in the middle of summer, scattered thunderstorms pretty much every day.  But often times, the states rainfall begins to dwindle in the heart of summer with heat taking over in July and August and adding to our browning factor by the time we make it to September.  This year has been a little different, with evenly spread rain events that have kept much of the area green.

Meanwhile, the same cannot be said for the rest of the state with lack luster rainfall in the southwest and northeast quarters of Minnesota as many areas received only about half of the usual totals.  As for the metro, the average July rainfall is right around 4 inches, leaving us a little over 3 inches above average.