May Monsoon: 3rd wettest year on record so far

It seems Minnesota has two settings on the weather switch.

On/Off.

Weather Whiplash. All or nothing. Flood to Flash Drought.

We eased into winter last year with increasing drought across Minnesota. Then the weather switch flipped "on" again. Polar Vortex. Snowmageddon. Spring deluge. May Monsoon.

Now the Twin Cities and much of central and eastern Minnesota is on pace for the third wettest year on record so far.

• 13.80 inches precipitation so far at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in 2014

• 5.4 inches above average

• third wettest year on record at MSP through May 19

This third-wettest year so far follows the sixth-wettest such period on record last year. Here's the Twin Cities National Weather Service top 10 list for precipitation so far through Monday.

Here's the longer term data. It's hard to see trends, but my MPR colleague and University of Minnesota climate guru Mark Seeley tells me he and others at U of M have observed a trend toward wetter springtime and early summer periods in the longer term data for Minnesota.

Here's the total precipitation (rain and snow) for the past 120 days. Storm tracks with heavy precipitation have favored eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

That's how you end a drought in Minnesota.

Forecast: Minnesota Nice

The next few days look nothing short of spectacular in Minnesota. More sunshine and mild temperatures should help dry out soggy fields and revive weather weary souls. Right now Saturday looks like the driest day of the holiday weekend. I'm not expecting a total washout, but rather a few hours of scattered showers and storms Sunday and Memorial Day.

Insert deep sigh of relief here.