A weekend of rain saturated Borderland since Friday, which should help the soil lock in moisture before the winter freeze.
A trace of precipitation late last Thursday was a prelude to four days of nearly constant rain. According to the National Weather Service in Duluth, the rain that fell on Friday added up to .08 inches, and another .36 inches fell on Saturday. The most rain fell on Sunday with .93 inches, which brought the weekend total to 1.37 inches.
As of 8 a.m. on Monday, another .12 inches fell and is expected to continue with pockets of heavy rain of around a half inch. A cold front is expected to follow this evening and move through quickly. There are chances for showers on Wednesday and Friday.
“Things will dry out next week with the cold,” said Steve Gohde, observing program leader with the National Weather Service in Duluth.
The rain brought the monthly total for International Falls to 1.66 inches, which is .77 above normal for October.
The weekend saturation will be good for the soil moisture, according to Gohde. After successive drought years, he said that the soil has resaturated for the past two fall seasons before the winter freeze. That is a good sign for spring, he added.
“That will help with the runoff next year, too,” he said. “I am not making an opinion on what might be happening in the spring, but it is always nice to have (moisture) stored through the winter in the soil.”
Gohde said the late season changing of the colors of the leaves is also a sign of good water conditions.