Blizzard warnings in Northwest Minnesota, winter weather advisories across the state

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People who know me know I’m usually mining the silver linings in our rigorous Minnesota weather. That’s been a pretty tough process lately. But I’ve dug up a pretty big, shiny silver lining in this post. 

Our seemingly endless wet weather pattern has erased the widespread severe drought that gripped most of Minnesota last year. 

The deep drought produced low water levels in lakes and rivers across Minnesota. It also fueled damaging wildfires up north. 

Last fall, 93 percent of Minnesota was abnormally dry or worse; 76 percent of the state was in the grips of drought. 

A full 50 percent of our state was in severe or extreme drought. 

This week’s latest U.S. Drought Monitor report for Minnesota shows the drought has been erased across Minnesota. A couple of small, slightly dry zones hang by a finger on this week’s map update. 

Our excessive April precipitation is boosting rivers and lake levels across Minnesota. 

MPR News climate expert Mark Seeley points out

 this week that this April will fall among the top 10 coldest and wettest statewide for Minnesota. 

. It’s also boosted river and lake levels in southern Minnesota. 

For example, the water level in Lake Minnetonka is up nearly a foot since early March. 

The medium-range forecast models continue to favor significantly warmer weather in the next 1-2 weeks. Most forecast models suggest sunnier days with highs moving into the 60s next week across the Upper Midwest.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model is cranking out a more sustained warmup for the second week of May with highs well into the 70s, and possibly near 80 degrees. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Excessive precipitation since last fall has erased a severe drought across Minnesota. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture / University of Nebraska-Lincoln

A person runs behind a fire truck with fire and smoke all around.

Courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service via AP

U.S. Drought Monitor for Minnesota September 28

Soggy silver lining: Drought erased from Minnesota

Go Deeper.

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