Deluge Drowns Duluth: Wettest June Day, Second Wettest All-Time in 142-Year Rainfall Record

Torrential rainfall up to 9" yesterday caused widespread flooding in the Duluth, Minnesota, area and closed roads, including I-35:

Major flooding in and around Duluth has isolated neighborhoods, drowned zoo animals and closed state parks, pushing the city's mayor to declare a state of emergency after more than 8 inches of rain had fallen across areas of northeastern Minnesota.

Steady, torrential rain closed Interstate 35 and downtown tunnels in Duluth. Police say sinkholes and washouts have made travel dangerous. Residents of the south Duluth neighborhood of Fond du Lac, near the rising St. Louis River, were being asked to leave their homes.

The National Weather Service simply noted drily that the daily rainfall record was smashed by a factor of over 2.5 to 1:

A RECORD RAINFALL OF 4.14 INCHES WAS SET AT DULUTH INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT YESTERDAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 1.55 SET IN 1998. 

A CapitalClimate analysis of National Climatic Data Center reports from downtown Duluth (1871 to 1941) and Duluth Airport (1941 to 2011) shows that this was also the all-time June record daily precipitation, exceeding the 4" on June 23, 1876. Furthermore, this was second only to the 5.2" on July 21, 1909 for the wettest day in the 142-year record.

Some other precipitation reports from the Duluth area:

INCHES  LOCATION                 ST  COUNTY           TIME
 ------  -----------------------  --  --------------   -------
  9.00   4 SW DULUTH              MN  ST. LOUIS        0941 AM
                 DENFELD NEIGHBORHOOD OF WEST DULUTH
  8.38   DULUTH                   MN  ST. LOUIS        0800 AM
                 THIS MEASUREMENT WAS TAKEN IN THE MORLEY
                 HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD.
  8.34   ALBORN                   MN  ST. LOUIS        1037 AM
  7.72   ALBORN                   MN  ST. LOUIS        0815 AM
  7.41   4 E ISLAND LAKE          MN  ST. LOUIS        1130 AM
                 STORM TOTAL.
  6.00   9 WSW PORT WING          WI  DOUGLAS          0830 AM
                 THIS ESTIMATE WAS TAKEN AT THE MOUTH OF THE
                 BRULE RIVER.
  5.95   14 SSW BRIMSON           MN  ST. LOUIS        1200 PM
  5.38   DULUTH                   MN  ST. LOUIS        0700 AM
                 24 HOUR TOTAL
  5.15   CASTLE DANGER            MN  LAKE             1200 PM
  5.03   5 S PEQUOT LAKES         MN  CROW WING        0741 AM
  4.36   DULUTH                   MN  ST. LOUIS        0848 AM
  4.09   SWAN RIVER               MN  ITASCA           0712 AM
  3.44   12 N ISLE                MN  AITKIN           0800 AM
  3.35   N BRAINERD               MN  CROW WING        0710 AM