Rain Tuesday helped bring the area out of drought conditions with .56 inches reported at Falls International Airport.
The rain brought the September total for International Falls to 4.09 inches for the month, which is now 1.68 inches above normal, according to Steve Gohde, observing program leader with the National Weather Service in Duluth.
The high intensity rain of Sept. 10-11, that produced 1.68 inches, saturated the topsoil, but was followed by a dry spell from Sept. 14-22. The “garden rain” that fell Tuesday is more ideal for recharging lower soil moisture, said Gohde.
“The heavy amounts help, but it’s best to have a string of days to help moisture percolate down,” he said. “It’s better to have a drawn out event with consistent precipitation.
“I suspect that the last 15 days is certainly helping drought conditions up in the Falls,” he added.
The nature of summertime rain is its inconsistency, he added. It tends to be heavier in one place than another nearby area. Gohde compared the Falls rainfall Tuesday with Kabetogama, which received 1.13 inches, and Littlefork, which only reported .08 of an inch. Orr had .5 inches while nearby Cook reported 1.08.
Although Duluth had 1.5 inches of rain Tuesday, he said it is still an inch below normal for the season.
The Weather Service says the next few days should be dryer with a chance of showers. On Friday night there will be a high chance of measurable precipitation overnight. Another shower is possible on Monday.
The two-week forecast is showing above normal temperatures and normal precipitation. The three-month outlook shows above normal temperatures and the data is inconclusive to signal above or below precipitation at this time.
The Abitibi Lake Level Hotline reports that the Rainy Lake level Tuesday at the dam was at 58.1 percent of IJC normal rule curve, which is 4.4 inches below the upper band, and 6.1 inches above the lower band. The dam is discharging 4,588.1 cubic feet per second and no spillway gates are open.
Namakan Lake is at 51 percent of IJC normal rule curve, which is 3.9 inches below the upper band, and 4 inches above the lower band. Two spillway gates are fully open and one is partially open.
