A series of rain systems that arrived in Minnesota this week dumped more than 4 inches of precipitation, likely bringing an end to drought and abnormally dry conditions in parts of the state. Heavy rain storms that arrived on Monday evening was followed by consistent, moderate rain on Tuesday, and then drizzle and spotty showers on Wednesday.

This week's rain has given some respite from ongoing drought conditions, but as of May 15, a quarter of Minnesota is still in a moderate drought.

Good Thursday eveningAfter days of gray skies and steady rain, the sunshine made a welcome return today. It’s felt nice to finally dry out a bit after picking up nearly a month’s worth of rainfall in just a few days across much of southern Minnesota.

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — It's been a wet week in the Twin Cities with some areas getting several inches of rain over the past three days. The National Weather Service is reporting anywhere from 1 to 3 inches around the metro, with some parts of southern Minnesota getting up to 4 inches over the past 72 hours.

The Twin Cities metro got a soaking Monday into Tuesday morning as more than two inches of rain fell in some spots.

Chris Shaffer was raised in Stillwater, Minnesota and left our great state for four years to attend the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where he earned degrees in Meteorology and Mass Communications.

The alert runs from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., as the same system that is triggering tornadoes down south ushers in downpours heavy enough to alter your plans.

Warmer temperatures and sunshine return on Thursday. The Twin Cities metro daytime high is around 65 degrees. The slightly below-average temperatures and mild conditions will continue through much of the holiday weekend.

Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard has the latest on the rainfall totals and the warmer than normal air that is slowly moving in now that the rain has departed.