Drought severity increases as we search for rain
Temps and dew points tick upward on Sunday
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The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows that 95 percent of Minnesota is in drought right now, with slightly more than 7 percent (shaded dark red) in exceptional drought:
Extreme drought (medium red) covers almost 35 percent of Minnesota, from parts of northwestern through central Minnesota and also portions of northeastern Minnesota.
Severe drought (orange) covers 36 percent of Minnesota, including most of the seven-county Twin Cities metro area. When added together, the severe drought, extreme drought and exceptional drought areas cover almost 78 percent of Minnesota. Weekend rain helped keep portions of far southeastern Minnesota out of drought.
Northern Iowa and parts of far southern Wisconsin are also dealing with drought:
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Exceptional drought covers parts of North Dakota and large swaths of the western U.S.:
Searching for rain
We might have to wait a few days for meaningful rain. Friday looks dry, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows little or no rain on Saturday or Sunday:
Temperature trends
We have pleasant weather right now, thanks to a high-pressure system that’s off to the west. That high drifts slowly eastward Friday and Saturday, so little change is expected in our weather. As the high moves farther off to the east on Sunday, our winds will shift to the south and temps and dew points will tick upward.
Friday highs will be in the 70s in most of Minnesota, with some lower 80s in the southwest. Saturday highs will be mainly in the 80s, with some upper 70s in parts of northeastern Minnesota:
Saturday dew points will be in the very comfortable 40s to lower 50s:
Sunday highs will reach the 80s in most areas, with a few lower 90s in far northwestern Minnesota:
Sunday afternoon dew points will creep into the sticky 60s:
Back to forecast high temps, metro area highs are projected to reach the mid-80s Monday and Tuesday of next week. Our average Twin Cities high temp is 81 degrees this time of year.
Programming note
Listen to updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio network, and follow updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog. Hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.
