June 1-4, 2002: Heavy Rains Persist into June in the Midwest.

June 1-4 brought a new wave of heavy rain to the Midwest, although most of the rain fell to the north of the previously soaked areas. The rain event was still going on at the end of the period, but more than three inches of rain had fallen in the area where Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin meet (Figure 5). The precipitation totals exceeded 700% of normal for the 4-day period (Figure 6). The temperature departures for the period clearly demarcated the quasi-stationary frontal boundary that was the focus of the rain, with temperatures in the northern three states of the Midwest up to 5°F below normal and temperatures across the central-south portions of the Midwest more than 10°F above normal (Figure 7). Much of the rain did miss the northern edge of the Midwest, allowing the Arrowhead of Minnesota to continue drying and leading to an abnormally dry classification in the U.S. Drought Monitor (Figure 8, NDMC). While much of the rest of the Midwest is overly wet, northeastern Minnesota has enhanced forest fire danger.