Did I mention the drought is over? And rather remarkably, all this rain has come with virtually no severe weather across Minnesota. Not yet.
Gazing at the maps I'm more worried about flooding than I am drought, at least into early summer.
In 2010, Minnesota saw the most tornadoes of any state in the U.S.: 113. Wadena was hit by an EF-4. In 2023, there were only 25 tornadoes in Minnesota, most small and brief. Drought and a persistent lack of low-level moisture were responsible for that. A tornado drought sounds pretty good.
Now, 2024 is trending wetter and I suspect peak months for tornadoes and large hail (June and July) will be busier this year.
Weather models suggest over 2″ of rain by Thursday with 2-4″ rain for western counties.
Showers and a few storms arrive Sunday, with partial clearing by Monday afternoon. A powerful storm late Tuesday into Wednesday brings drenching rains and wind gusts to 50 mph.
Mother Nature has treated us with kid gloves. this spring. That may not last.
![Team Greece's boat parades along the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/GFUTTQG65BGEJF76IYABYF27V4.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Paris dazzles with a rainy Olympics opening ceremony on the Seine River
Rain, rain and more rain couldn't drown out the cheers at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony
![Twin Cities meteorologist Paul Douglas is retiring from WCCO after seven years on the radio. He started working for Minnesota news stations in 1983 an](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/KIG3GIEQLRFUBKF6ABXPYJT2ZM.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)