Many of us feel lucky to live here for a variety of reasons.
And that luck seems to be holding out when it comes to the weather this summer, as we have been just missed by strong storms that have caused millions of damages to other communities.
As we watch the communities to our south recover after taking the full brunt of these violent storms, we should feel lucky that they simply touched us. Had Borderland experienced some of this damage, our lives and possibly livelihoods would have been impacted immensely.
Seems like the start of this rough weather rolled in June 21, when Duluth and the surrounding area experienced historic flooding with some areas receiving up to 10 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. Roads were destroyed; homes and businesses flooded and damaged.
Borderland, on that day received 0.19 of an inch of rain, according to the National Weather Service.
On Monday, Borderland experienced a wind gust of 52 miles per hour followed by a pounding rain that lasted less than an hour and gave us about 0.31 of an inch of precipitation. It canceled the International Tug of War and brought down a few branches around the community, but not much more.
But that same storm that brushed by us reeked havoc in Bemidji and Grand Rapids, where wind speeds into the 80 mph were recorded causing extensive damage, including downed trees and power lines. Power outages were widespread in both communities.
And Grand Rapids and Virginia got hit hard by Wednesday’s storm, which brought thunder and lightening, followed later by rain, to Borderland. Trees were down and some areas received 1-1.5 inches of rain.
Borderland enjoyed its Fourth of July festivities and then received 0.09 in rain.
And we can’t forget the high temperatures much of the nation has been experiencing. While it’s certainly felt hot in the Icebox of the Nation, it’s nothing compared to record-breaking temperatures experienced elsewhere, including in the Twin Cities, where it was 101 on July 4. The National Weather Service reports a high in Borderland Wednesday of 82.
Clearly, Mother Nature has been good to Borderland so far this summer. And we sure don’t want to jinx that. But we encourage area residents to consider how we would have handled such damage and then assist by making donations when possible to the clean up efforts in these neighboring northern communities. It could have been us facing these difficult challenges.
