Flash flood hits Duluth
Powerful thunderstorms overnight dumped torrential rains in and near Duluth.
The storms produced heavy tropical downpours in a swath from near Foley and Milaca to Moose Lake to Duluth, Hermantown and near Two Harbors and Silver Bay. As much as 4 inches of rain has been reported at Hermantown, with 3.9" at Duluth International Airport.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
1133 PM CDT SUN MAY 23 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1132 PM HEAVY RAIN DULUTH 46.78N 92.12W
05/23/2010 M3.91 INCH ST. LOUIS MN OFFICIAL NWS OBS
STORM TOTAL
Duluth's 3.9" rainfall total Sunday night smashes the old daily record rainfall of 1.28" set in 1964.
[image]
Duluth radar loop shows multi inch rainfall in a band from south of Lake Mille Lacs to near Duluth and the North Shore.
The storms formed along a stalled frontal boundary dividing a sticky tropical air mass in southern Minnesota from much cooler and drier air in northwest Minnesota.
Here's the first warning from the Duluth NWS:
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
1135 PM CDT SUN MAY 23 2010
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DULUTH MN HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
NORTH CENTRAL PINE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
CARLTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA...
SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA...
SOUTHEASTERN ST. LOUIS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA...
THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF DULUTH...
* UNTIL 530 AM CDT
* AT 1128 PM CDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AND RADAR
INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WARNED AREA.
NEARLY 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN THE HERMANTOWN AND OVER THE
HILL IN PARTS OF DULUTH. 3.9 INCHES OF RAIN HAS BEEN REPORTED SO
FAR AT THE DULUTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL
CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...AND RUNOFF
FROM THESE AS WELL AS FROM THE PREVIOUS STORMS MAY CAUSE FLOODING.
THE SAINT LOUIS COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED WATER OVER PARTS OF MAPLE
GROVE AND UGSTAD ROADS IN HERMANTOWN.
* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WHYTE...
WALES...SILVER BAY...MURPHY CITY...FINLAND...BRIMSON AND
ALGER...DULUTH...MOOSE LAKE...SAWYER...ADOLPH...AND HERMANTOWN.
While the flash flood is dangerous, especially at night, there is a silver lining in that rainfall comes in an area of severe drought.
Mark Twain is reported to have said; "It takes a flood to end a drought." It looks like the City of Duluth and parts of northeast Minnesota just got one.
PH