With many eyes and memories turned to the 40th anniversary of the wreck of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Tuesday, Nov. 10, it’s a Wednesday storm that might make some ships stay in port tomorrow night around the region.
While the Great Lakes area will be spared from this storm, at least in the Superior region, Wright County could see 40 mph winds Wednesday night, along with heavy rains lasting from Wednesday afternoon into Thursday, according to a forecast released by the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities. The Wright County area could see up to 1.5 inches of precipitation in the form of rain and/or sleet.
The storm should descend on the Wright County area Wednesday afternoon, but southern Minnesota will see rain as early as Wednesday morning. Winds of up to 55 to 60 mph are expected in the extreme southwest corner of the state. That will limit truck traffic on Interstate 90, as high profile vehicles are subject to a high wind warning, issued by the NWS today.
Commuters should expect a bumpy ride home Wednesday night.
Sump pumps should be checked for any leaves or branches, as the rain will fall quickly. The storm system should rip through the region in about 12 to 16 hours.
Ironically, Wednesday is the 75th anniversary of the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940, when up to 17 inches of snow fell on the Twin Cities and more than two feet of white stuff fell in Collegeville, Minnesota. That storm claimed the lives of 49 people in the state.
The NWS said if temperatures were lower – by just about 10 to 15 degrees with this storm – the snowfall totals with this system would be close to that amount, particularly in areas like Lakeville, Owatonna and even Rochester.
However, those areas will see 2 inches of rain, or more, instead.