MINOT – The thunderstorm that centered over Minot shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday was loud, bright and, for a time, brought a deluge of rainfall. All in all, measurable precipitation in and near the city was about 1/3 of an inch.
Nevertheless, it was a welcome rainfall despite raucous thunder and frequent, bright lightning flashes that woke many from their nighttime slumber.
The Minot International Airport recorded .35 inches of rain, most of which fell in a very short amount of time. Rainfall at that location has been tracking below the long-term average. The Thursday morning rain brought the yearly total there up to 10 inches. Historically, normal precipitation accumulation for the year to date is about 13 inches.
At the Experiment Station south of the city rainfall totals are generally higher than at the Minot Airport. Year to date precipitation totals south of the city, including the Thursday morning rainfall, is now approximately 12 inches.
The extended precipitation outlook issued by the Climate Prediction Center calls for an above average chance of more precipitation in the region through September 9.
