Information: Precipitation frequency information is being updated by the National Oceanograpic and Atmospheris Administration (NOAA). The Minnesota Stormwater Manual will eventually be updated using Atlas 14 information.

Atlas 14 precipitation frequency information can be found on [http://hdsc.nws.noaa.gov/hdsc/pfds/pfds_map_cont.html?bkmrk=mn NOAA's precipitation frequency data server.

Information: This page provides the following information on rainfall frequency distributions for Minnesota:
  • Rainfall frequency curves for the 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 year 24-hour rainfall events for Minnesota. The source of the data is Technical Paper 40 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
  • Rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for ten locations in Minnesota. Rainfall frequency specifies the number of 24-hour rain events, expressed as a percent of all events, that are less than a certain depth. Volume represents the total annual volume of rain that is associated with a particular rain depth. For example, 88 percent of rain events in Cloquet are 1 inch or less, while rain events of one inch or less account for 60 percent of the annual volume.
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map showing 1-year 24-hour rainfall distribution across Minnesota map showing 2-year 24-hour rainfall distribution across Minnesota map showing 5-year 24-hour rainfall distribution across Minnesota map showing 10-year 24-hour rainfall distribution across Minnesota map showing 25-year 24-hour rainfall distribution across Minnesota map showing 50-year 24-hour rainfall distribution across Minnesota map showing 100-year 24-hour rainfall distribution across Minnesota map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for Cloquet map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for Fargo map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for Grand Forks map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for Grand Marais map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for Itasca map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for Lamberton map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for Minneapolis and St. Paul map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for Rochester map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for St. Cloud map showing rainfall frequency and volume percentiles as a function of precipitation depth for Thief River Falls