Raincoats, umbrellas and perhaps galoshes will be accessories of need for the next two days as the Twin Cities and much of Minnesota gets drenched.
The rain started Wednesday morning, and by noon more than 4 inches of rain had been reported in parts of far western Minnesota, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for the area and covering west central, east central and southern parts of the state, including the Twin Cities.
At noon, flooded basements were reported in the city of Renville, Minn., the Weather Service said.
The watch is in effect through Thursday morning, but “be prepared to take action should flash flood warnings be issued,” the Weather Service said.
Rain was falling from Duluth to Brainerd to Alexandria and south to the Iowa border as of midday Wednesday. The metro area could pick up 2-3 inches of rain, with 4 inches not out of the question in some places in western and southern Minnesota, the Weather Service said.
“My grass seed is thrilled,” said Brent Hewett, a forecaster and meteorologist with the Weather Service in Chanhassen. “This is good news for farmers.”
June is typically one of Minnesota’s wettest months with an average of 4.25-4.5 inches falling annually. As of Wednesday, the month was running behind on precipitation, but “this will get us back closer to normal,” Hewett added.
The Twin Cities has picked up about 2.3 inches of rain this month, according to the Weather Service.
