What was likely the wettest November storm on record for Minnesota drenched much of the state from November 2 - 5, 2026, as an unusually wet air mass, in conjunction with a complex and slow-moving weather disturbance, produced numerous rounds of moderate to heavy rain. Over the course of about 72 hours, many areas received 2-4 times their normal November precipitation.
An atypical fall weather pattern developed over the southwestern, central, and northern United States, beginning on October 29th. The ongoing and major El Niño had already evaporated an astonishing amount of water into the air, leading to record levels of available moisture over the equatorial and subtropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean. An otherwise "routine" area of low pressure then approached Mexico from the Pacific Ocean and drew upon that enormous moisture source, leading to multiple days of excessive rainfall and flooding over the southwestern US. The system crossed the southern Rockies on November 1st and continued spreading intense moisture northeastward into the Upper Midwest.
Rains began in southwestern Minnesota just after midnight on November 2nd, with moderate to heavy rain streaking northeastward across western, central, and eventually northern and northeastern areas as the day progressed. Rainfall rates were not generally excessive, but at times topped a quarter-inch per hour, for 5-8 hours in some areas. Of Minnesota's five primary climate stations, two set daily precipitation records for November 2nd, as Duluth received 1.48 inches and International Falls measured 1.05 inches of rain.
By morning of Tuesday November 3rd, just one day into the event, about a quarter of the state, stretching from Ortonville in the far west through the entire Arrowhead region of the northeast, had received at least 1.5 inches of rain, and several observers between Hibbing and Grand Rapids recorded over three inches of rain in 24 hours. Many stations set daily (24-hour) precipitation records, and about a dozen set the record for any November day.
More rain enveloped southern and eastern Minnesota on the morning of November 3rd, with another round in the afternoon and yet another in the evening spreading to all but northwestern Minnesota. Three primary climate stations, at Duluth, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities, broke daily precipitation records for November 3rd. Rains continued through the night and by morning of November 4th, 24-hour rainfall totals of 1 to 1.5 inches covered a south-to-north swath stretching from far south-central Minnesota, through the Twin Cities, and up into the Brainerd Lakes area, with a secondary area near Duluth and up the Lake Superior shore towards Two Harbors.
Rain continued in waves throughout November 4th and into the morning of the 5th, with moderate to heavy rains falling in northeastern, northern, and central Minnesota. More daily precipitation records fell once again, this time at Duluth, International Falls, and St. Cloud.
The storm produced exceptionally high rainfall totals for November, with dozens of long-measuring stations notching their wettest three November days on record. The total of 5.73 inches reported by the Two Harbors National Weather Service cooperative observer appears to be the highest three-day November precipitation total in state history. The storm produced totals of five inches or more from Grand Rapids, to Hibbing, to Ely. The swath of three-inch totals covered over a quarter of the state, stretching from Big Stone County in the far west all the way to Grand Portage in the extreme northeast, and covering the entire Arrowhead region from the Canadian border through Duluth. The entire state received measurable rainfall and over 80% had at least one inch. No other event in 2026 had such a large footprint of significant precipitation.
For perspective, normal precipitation for November, based on averages from 1991 through 2020, ranges from around 0.8 inches in western and northwestern Minnesota, to two inches or more near Lake Superior. This storm, therefore, produced 2-4 times the amount of precipitation expected for the entire month of November over a large swath of Minnesota, and it did so in just three days. This storm guaranteed that November will finish wetter than normal on a statewide basis, and puts the month into contention for the wettest November on record.
The moisture arriving with this weather system did more than just rain; it also led to some unusually humid conditions. Many stations across southern and central Minnesota had dew point temperatures exceed 60 degrees F on November 2nd and 3rd, including many readings in the middle 60s F on the 2nd. The Twin Cities has dew point records back to 1902, and set daily records with 62 F on the 2nd and 63 F on the 3rd. The value on the 3rd also goes into the books as the highest dew point temperature on record for November in the Twin Cities.
November 6, 2026
KAB