A developing area of low pressure was centered over Montana on Sunday, March 22. By Monday, March 23 the low pressure had moved to western Nebraska and continued to strengthen. On Tuesday, March 24 the low had moved to eastern South Dakota. Warm, moist air was drawn into the upper midwest. The dew point temperature stayed above 40 degrees in Fargo for 35 hours straight on March 23rd and 24th. Sioux Falls saw a dew point temperature of 55 on March 22nd. Unusually heavy precipitation for March was associated with this large storm system. Heavy rains fell over the Red River Valley on March 22 and 23rd, making the flood situation worsen. Multi-day rainfall totals of one to three inches were common across much of northern and central Minnesota. Fargo received more precipitation in four days (2.76 inches from March 22 to 25) than that site would normally see for the entire month of May. To the east, St. Cloud saw 2.49 inches of rain in one day on March 23. This is the highest one day precipitation total for St. Cloud on record for March. At the same time, this storm was causing an extensive ice storm along the North Shore of Lake Superior in northeast Minnesota.
By Wednesday, March 25, the sluggish low pressure area had moved to north central Minnesota and crossed the Canadian Border by the afternoon. In its wake the rain changed to snow over northern and west central Minnesota. Fargo saw 7.5 inches, Hallock wound up with 8 inches.
Listed below are local storm reports from the National Weather Service regarding this storm
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
355 PM CDT MON MAR 23 2009
...AREA PRECIPITATION REPORTS...
THE FOLLOWING ARE RAIN AMOUNTS FOR THE AS MEASURED THIS MORNING
BY NWS COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS MOST.
24-HOUR RAINFALL AMOUNTS
FROM SUNDAY EVENING TO MONDAY NOON...
NORTH DAKOTA RAIN
LOCATION (COUNTY): FALL (IN)
MOORETON (RICHLAND)..........................3.00
DWIGHT (RICHLAND)............................2.35
LIDGERWOOD (RICHLAND)........................1.47
NDAWN @ WAHPETON (RICHLAND)..................1.46
NDAWN @ WYNDMERE (RICHLAND)..................1.26
CAYUGA (SARGENT).............................1.10
WEST FARGO 4SSE (CASS).......................0.98
VALLEY CITY (BARNES).........................0.91
NDAWN @ PILLSBURY (BARNES)...................0.80
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV (CASS)...............0.77
FORMAN (SARGENT).............................0.74
ASOS @ FARGO AIRPORT (CASS)..................0.69
NDAWN @ DAZEY (BARNES).......................0.67
FARGO 5NW (CASS).............................0.64
HAVANA (SARGENT).............................0.62
ENDERLIN (RANSOM)............................0.57
ASOS @ GRAND FORKS AP (GRAND FORKS)..........0.54
MAYVILLE (TRAILL)............................0.54
GRAND FORKS NWS (GRAND FORKS)................0.50
NDAWN @ MAYVILLE (TRAILL)....................0.48
ASOS @ GRAND FORKS AFB (GRAND FORKS).........0.44
NDAWN @ GALESBURG (TRAILL)...................0.43
NDAWN @ HILLSBORO (TRAILL)...................0.36
COLGATE (STEELE).............................0.32
STARKWEATHER (RAMSEY)........................0.29
PEMBINA (PEMBINA)............................0.25
NDAWN @ CAVALIER (PEMBINA)...................0.21
EDMORE (RAMSEY)..............................0.21
NDAWN @ FOREST RIVER (WALSH).................0.21
CAVALIER (PEMBINA)...........................0.17
LANGDON EXP FARM (CAVALIER)..................0.16
SARLES 5NE (CAVALIER)........................0.15
NDAWN @ LANGDON (CAVALIER)...................0.14
HANSBORO (TOWNER)............................0.11
NDAWN @ MICHIGAN 2W (NELSON).................0.08
NDAWN @ BAKER (BENSON).......................0.07
NDAWN @ MCHENRY (EDDY).......................0.07
NDAWN @ CANDO (TOWNER).......................0.06
CHURCHS FERRY (RAMSEY).......................0.02
MINNESOTA RAIN
LOCATION (COUNTY): FALL (IN)
PHELPS MILL (OTTER TAIL).....................2.50
BRECKENRIDGE (WILKIN)........................1.90
ELIZABETH 3W (OTTER TAIL)....................1.79
NEW YORK MILLS (OTTER TAIL)..................1.67
OTTERTAIL (OTTER TAIL).......................1.65
SEBEKA (WADENA)..............................1.55
ROTHSAY (WILKIN).............................1.50
ITASCA U OF M (CLEARWATER)...................1.42
PELICAN RAPIDS (OTTER TAIL)..................1.37
WHEATON (TRAVERSE)...........................1.37
LONG LOST LAKE (CLEARWATER)..................1.34
WASKISH (BELTRAMI)...........................1.32
BEMIDJI (BELTRAMI)...........................1.30
CAMP NORRIS DNR (BELTRAMI)...................1.29
TAMARAC WILDLIFE REFUGE (BECKER).............1.22
SABIN (CLAY).................................1.17
BARNESVILLE (CLAY)...........................1.11
MUSKRAT LAKE 1S (BELTRAMI)...................1.10
MOORHEAD.....................................0.97
WARROAD (ROSEAU).............................0.91
ROOSEVELT 5N (LAKE OF THE WOODS).............0.86
PINECREEK 4W (ROSEAU)........................0.56
PINE CREEK (ROSEAU RIVER WMA) (ROSEAU).......0.56
NDAWN @ PERLEY (NORMAN)......................0.56
RED LAKE FALLS (RED LAKE)....................0.46
ARGYLE (MARSHALL)............................0.39
HALSTAD (NORMAN).............................0.39
GREENBUSH (ROSEAU)...........................0.38
NDAWN @ STEPHEN (MARSHALL)...................0.36
CLIMAX 3WNW (POLK)...........................0.27
HUMBOLT (KITTSON)............................0.25
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1119 AM CDT WED MAR 25 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1053 AM SNOW HANSBORO
48.95N 99.38W 03/25/2009 E1.5 INCH TOWNER ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW CANDO
48.49N 99.20W 03/25/2009 E3.0 INCH TOWNER
ND LAW ENFORCEMENT
1053 AM SNOW LANGDON
48.76N 98.37W 03/25/2009 E2.6 INCH CAVALIER ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW STARKWEATHER
48.45N 98.88W 03/25/2009 E1.5 INCH RAMSEY ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW EDMORE
48.41N 98.45W 03/25/2009 E1.3 INCH RAMSEY ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW CHURCHS FERRY
48.27N 99.19W 03/25/2009 E0.2 INCH RAMSEY ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW PEMBINA
48.97N 97.25W 03/25/2009 E3.5 INCH PEMBINA ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW ST. THOMAS
48.62N 97.45W 03/25/2009 E4.0 INCH PEMBINA ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW GRAFTON
48.42N 97.40W 03/25/2009 E4.0 INCH WALSH ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW PETERSBURG
48.01N 98.00W 03/25/2009 E8.0 INCH NELSON ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW NORTHWOOD
47.74N 97.57W 03/25/2009 E8.0 INCH GRAND FORKS ND PUBLIC
1053 AM SNOW COOPERSTOWN
47.44N 98.12W 03/25/2009 E3.0 INCH GRIGGS ND LAW ENFORCEMENT
1053 AM SNOW FINLEY
47.51N 97.84W 03/25/2009 E8.0 INCH STEELE ND LAW ENFORCEMENT
1053 AM SNOW MAYVILLE
47.50N 97.33W 03/25/2009 E4.5 INCH TRAILL ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW VALLEY CITY
46.92N 98.01W 03/25/2009 E2.0 INCH BARNES ND LAW ENFORCEMENT
1053 AM SNOW CHAFFEE
46.77N 97.35W 03/25/2009 E3.0 INCH CASS ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW LISBON
46.44N 97.68W 03/25/2009 E4.0 INCH RANSOM ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW CAYUGA
46.08N 97.38W 03/25/2009 E4.0 INCH SARGENT ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW LIDGERWOOD
46.07N 97.15W 03/25/2009 E2.0 INCH RICHLAND ND CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW GRAND FORKS
47.92N 97.07W 03/25/2009 M5.2 INCH GRAND FORKS ND OFFICIAL NWS OBS
1053 AM SNOW SE GRAND FORKS
47.92N 97.07W 03/25/2009 M7.5 INCH GRAND FORKS ND NWS EMPLOYEE
1053 AM SNOW HALLOCK
48.77N 96.94W 03/25/2009 E8.0 INCH KITTSON MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
1053 AM SNOW GREENBUSH
48.70N 96.18W 03/25/2009 E5.0 INCH ROSEAU MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW 4 W WARROAD
48.91N 95.41W 03/25/2009 E6.6 INCH ROSEAU MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW WARROAD
48.91N 95.32W 03/25/2009 E4.5 INCH ROSEAU MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW ROOSEVELT
48.80N 95.10W 03/25/2009 E5.0 INCH ROSEAU MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW 21 S BAUDETTE
48.41N 94.59W 03/25/2009 E3.0 INCH LAKE OF THE WOODS MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW THORHULT
48.23N 95.25W 03/25/2009 E2.0 INCH BELTRAMI MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW GATZKE
48.42N 95.78W 03/25/2009 E5.0 INCH MARSHALL MN CO-OP OBSERVER
THIEF LAKE REFUGE TOTAL.
1053 AM SNOW ARGYLE
48.34N 96.82W 03/25/2009 E8.0 INCH MARSHALL MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW EAST GRAND FORKS
47.93N 97.02W 03/25/2009 E8.0 INCH POLK MN NWS EMPLOYEE
1053 AM SNOW CROOKSTON
47.77N 96.61W 03/25/2009 E4.0 INCH POLK MN EMERGENCY MNGR
1053 AM SNOW THIEF RIVER FALLS
48.11N 96.18W 03/25/2009 E3.0 INCH PENNINGTON MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW RED LAKE FALLS
47.89N 96.27W 03/25/2009 E3.0 INCH RED LAKE MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
1053 AM SNOW SOLWAY
47.52N 95.13W 03/25/2009 E2.0 INCH BELTRAMI MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW HALSTAD
47.35N 96.82W 03/25/2009 E3.0 INCH NORMAN MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW SABIN
46.78N 96.65W 03/25/2009 E3.2 INCH CLAY MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW 5 E RICHWOOD
46.97N 95.72W 03/25/2009 E0.4 INCH BECKER MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW PELICAN RAPIDS
46.57N 96.09W 03/25/2009 E0.0 INCH OTTER TAIL MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW SEBEKA
46.63N 95.09W 03/25/2009 E0.0 INCH WADENA MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW WADENA
46.44N 95.13W 03/25/2009 E0.0 INCH WADENA MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW DALTON
46.17N 95.92W 03/25/2009 E0.8 INCH OTTER TAIL MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW ROTHSAY
46.47N 96.29W 03/25/2009 E1.0 INCH WILKIN MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW BRECKENRIDGE
46.26N 96.59W 03/25/2009 E3.0 INCH WILKIN MN CO-OP OBSERVER
1053 AM SNOW MOORHEAD
46.86N 96.76W 03/25/2009 E3.3 INCH CLAY MN CO-OP OBSERVER
Last modified: January 9, 2017
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