MPR’s Bob Potter talks with Byron Paulson, of the National Weather Service, about heavy rainstorms rolling across central part of state.
On June 21, 1983, torrential rains drenched and flooded an area including Litchfield, Paynesville, Buffalo, Clearwater, and Big Lake, with totals exceeding 8 inches covering parts of five counties.
SPEAKER: Severe thunderstorm warnings, flash flood warnings have been coming from the National Weather Service all morning long. Byron Paulson joins us by telephone from the Weather Bureau at the Twin Cities International Airport. Byron, where is the worst of the storm activity right at the moment?
BYRON PAULSON: Well, as far as in the Twin City Metropolitan area, the activity has died down considerably from what we had earlier this morning. As you're aware, we had a flash flood warning in effect for a good part of the Southern Metropolitan area and then down into the adjacent counties of Nicollet, Le Sueur, and Rice.
And the Western portion of the flash flood warning was canceled. The Eastern portion still remains in effect. We did have some rainfall reports, some of the heavier ones being in Scott and Rice County where some 3 to 5 inch rains were reported. And in Rice County in the Northern portion, which was under the warning, there were some reports of roads being washed out.
Also to our Northwest in the Litchfield area of Meeker County, North of town, we had some reports during the night of rains in excess of 6 inches and one unofficial one North of Litchfield of about a foot. And they've also got a flash flood warning in effect for Meeker County until 3:00 PM this afternoon.
SPEAKER: Not counting the Minneapolis Saint Paul area, are there any warnings in effect for other parts of the state right now?
BYRON PAULSON: As far as warnings, yes, the flash flood warning I mentioned for Meeker and then also there are a couple of thunderstorm warnings in effect. Meeker County being hit also by some high winds and some hail. There's a thunderstorm warning in effect up in that area until around noon.
And then also to our Southeast between here and Rochester and the Rice Goodhue County area, same type of weather. Some hail, some high winds, very heavy rains and a thunderstorm warning in effect until 11:45.
SPEAKER: If any funnel clouds been sighted in any of this activity and are funnel clouds a possibility yet today?
BYRON PAULSON: Are possibility, but none have been reported yet. The weather, the worst of it really has been the heavy rains and then, as I say, mixed with some hail. Most of the hail has been smaller than marble sized, but we did have one report of it getting up into the golf ball range, and then also winds of 50 to 60 miles an hour out of some out of the stronger thunderstorms.
SPEAKER: Once the current thunderstorm warnings expire for the areas you talked about are more likely this afternoon, or is the weather pattern going to clear up a bit?
BYRON PAULSON: Temporarily we'll be having some clearing into the early afternoon hours. We're already watching a new line of thunderstorms now, which extends from, oh, I suppose, down to the Marshall area of Southwest Minnesota, then up through Alexandria and then up into the Leach Lake area. So there are more thunderstorms to the West and Northwest of us at the present time.
SPEAKER: A chance to mop up a bit and then brace for some more.
BYRON PAULSON: It's what it looks like.
SPEAKER: All right, sir, thank you so much for visiting with us today. Byron Paulson, forecaster at the National Weather Service office at the Twin Cities Airport.
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