Driest September on record for Twin Cities; drought widens in Minnesota
Only isolated shower chances the next few days
Temperatures will be right near normal for most of Minnesota Thursday with partly cloudy skies and a few isolated sprinkles north. Temperatures will be above normal Friday and into the weekend.
Drought has also expanded across Minnesota in the past week.
Drought expands across Minnesota
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor maps show drought has expanded across Minnesota from 15 percent last week to now 22 percent of Minnesota. Severe drought remains at 4 percent of Minnesota and includes much of the Twin Cities area and part of southwestern Minnesota around Marshall.
The portion of Minnesota considered abnormally dry expanded from 42 percent last week to now most of Minnesota at 54 percent.
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In the Twin Cities we’ve only seen 23 one-hundredths (.23) of an inch of rain, the least amount in September on record.
The following are rainfall deficits for September for some climate reporting stations:
-2.60 inches, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
-2.55 inches, Chanhassen, southwest Twin Cities metro
-2.03 inches, Fargo-Moorhead on the North Dakota-Minnesota border
-1.13 inches, Eau Claire, Wis.
-0.65 of an inch, St. Cloud, central Minnesota
-0.53 of an inch, Duluth
-0.46 of an inch International Falls, far northern Minnesota
-0.42 of an inch, Brainerd, central Minnesota
-0.35 of an inch, Hibbing, northeastern Minnesota
The dry conditions are affecting local landmarks, including Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, where the water heading into the falls has dropped off significantly. At the source of the Minnehaha Creek, Lake Minnetonka, the height of the lake has dropped a full foot and a half since May.
Temperatures continue trend upward
High temperatures Thursday will be seasonable, in the mid to upper 60s for the Twin Cities and much of southern Minnesota with low 70s popping up in southwestern Minnesota.
The warmth expands Friday with highs in the low 70s in the Twin Cities and even mid-70s in southwestern Minnesota. Northeastern Minnesota will see highs well into the 60s.
Only isolated rain shower chances
Precipitation will be pretty scant over the coming days. A few isolated shower are possible in northern Minnesota Thursday with perhaps one or two sprinkles Friday across central Minnesota. Sunday will bring another isolated rain shower chance only.
Extreme rainfall in Florida from Hurricane Ian
In addition to strong Category 4 strength winds and a storm surge that was likely around an astonishing 12 feet, Hurricane Ian’s rainfall has added to major flooding concerns.
Radar estimates show a swath of 10 to 20 inches of rain fell across Florida’s Gulf Coast between Fort Myers and Sarasota.