Although September in Borderland kicked off with a boom, August ended quietly and dry.
Many area residents may have grown unfamiliar with the sounds of thunderstorms and rain that began in the early morning hours Thursday after having a dryer-than-normal August with only one or two storms that passed through.
According to Declan Cannon, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth, the International Falls area measured just 1.9 inches of rain for the month, which is almost an inch below the average rainfall of 2.81 inches.
“Typically, the jet stream is set up that the area would a get a little more rain,” Cannon explained. “But, that wasn’t the case this year.”
Cannon said the upper level winds which tend to be a big factor in steering a weather surface containing precipitation, were not in “the normal setup.”
“The rain has stayed to the south,” he added. “There are areas south in the state that have actually seen excessive rainfall. This upper wind pattern just hasn’t been in a typical alignment.”
A good portion of the monthly rainfall came Tuesday when Borderland received about 0.25 inches of rain. Cannon said that amounts did vary on that day and there were pockets of heavy rain that left areas in Koochiching County with almost half an inch of rain.
Although August stayed dryer than usual, Cannon said the average temperature for the month was just above normal.
The average August temperature is about 60 degrees, and this month the average came out to 63 degrees.
“It was a bit warmer, but not much,” he said.
Cannon assured that warm temperatures are predicted to hang around as September gets its start, but so is the rain.
Showers may last through today, but Labor Day Monday is looking to a sunny, warm day.
