Is Heavy March Rain Increasingly Common In Minnesota?

Up to 2.5 inches of rain has fallen over Minnesota in the last two days, and more precipitation is falling today (as snow) over northern Minnesota. Rainfall at MSP International Airport tied a daily record yesterday, coming in at 0.85 inches. In general, the heaviest precipitation fell in line with the I-35 corridor, and points to the east; western parts on Minnesota were pretty dry, overall.

Heavy rain isn't all that common in March in our region, but it has become increasingly common.

In our warming climate, the atmosphere "holds" more water vapor, and that will lead to increased instances of heavy rainfall. In fact, Climate Central research has shown a significant increase in days with 2 inches or more of rainfall across the U.S. since 1950.

Additionally, every part of the U.S. has experienced an uptick in "extreme" rainfall events -- defined as the heaviest 1 percent of daily events -- since 1950. Here, in the upper Mississippi Valley, extreme rainfall events have increased 37 percent, the second-highest increase in the nation.

You can see live WCCO Weather Watcher Network rainfall totals here.