Storms start to move out of Minnesota, continue for western Wisconsin

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The numbers from the latest U.S. Drought Monitor are not encouraging to farmers and water managers across the region.

Overall 27 percent of the Midwest region is now in drought status. But drought coverage is much higher in the northern half of the Midwest region where the percentage of moderate to severe drought is much higher in several states. 

Drought conditions are even worse in the Dakotas. Over 70 percent of the Dakotas are in moderate or severe drought. And 67 percent of North Dakota is in extreme to exceptional drought. 

Here is the state-by-state breakdown of drought coverage. 

Much of the Upper Midwest has recorded less than half of average precipitation in the past 90 days. Rainfall has been abundant in the southern half of the Midwest.

The impacts from the deepening drought in the region are growing fast. Here’s more detail on specific impacts across our region from the latest U.S. Drought Monitor.

Overall forecasts for this week suggest more dry weather across most of our region this week. The exception is Thursday when a few forecast models suggest a 

Next week appears to be trending cooler and potentially wetter across much of the Midwest. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s eight-to-14 days temperature outlook favors cooler than average temperatures overall. 

And the precipitation outlook suggests rainfall near to above average from Minnesota eastward.

Forecast models suggest a possible widespread rainfall system sometime between late Sunday and Tuesday of next week.

The European model suggests abundant rainfall across Iowa, northern and southern Minnesota, but very little across much of central Minnesota.

The American GFS model suggests possible soaking rains across more of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Most of the Midwest needs significant rainfall and cooler temperature to avoid plunging headlong into severe drought in the next two weeks. As of Monday, there is at least some hope for cooler and potentially wetter weather across much of the Upper Midwest next week.

Paul Huttner

Author

The numbers from the latest U.S. Drought Monitor are not encouraging to farmers and water managers across the region. Overall, 27 percent of the Midwest region is now in drought status.

USDA/UNL

Chris Carlson | AP 2015

 Precipitation Percent of Normal (Last 90 Days): March 9-June 6, 2021

NOAA

Twin Cities National Weather Service

European model (ECMWF) precipitation output

Drought severity increasing across the Upper Midwest

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