Flash drought in Minnesota thanks to recent hot, dry weather

After two rounds of hot, dry weather this month, flash drought has taken hold in Minnesota. The state’s total area now under drought has doubled in the last two weeks.

Drought expanding rapidly in Minnesota

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report for Minnesota is pretty alarming. Drought really has expanded in the last two weeks due to a heat dome and another recent heat wave. Areas of at least moderate drought have doubled in the last two weeks.

Severe drought conditions have doubled in just the last week, now covering 35 percent of Minnesota. All of north-central and northeastern Minnesota is in severe drought along with pockets in the Red River Valley and southwestern Minnesota.

Hot conditions combined with some of the strongest sunshine of the year and a lack of consistent, soaking rains have really taken a toll on soil moisture content. Anyone who has tried to dig in the dirt can see the surface soils are like powder out there.

In the Twin Cities at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the surface soils contain just 0.5 percent moisture content; 30 percent is considered ideal. We have to go down about 2.5 feet to reach that for much of the metro, which is now entirely classified in drought.

We now have the most drought in the state since late October 2024.

While there’s no official definition for flash drought, most consider if the rapid onset of drought within days or weeks which would certainly qualify much of Minnesota this summer.

North-central Minnesota has seen stubborn drought since last year. For most of the rest of the state, including the Twin Cities metro area, this has developed quickly in just July.

There is some rainfall on the way late Thursday into Friday but it will take more than one soaking rainfall to mitigate these conditions. The heaviest rainfall is favored for southwestern Minnesota and along the Minnesota River Valley with much less north and east of that area.