Rain helps some, but severe drought holds firm across northern Minnesota
Over one-third of the state is in severe drought
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The latest drought monitor shows some encouraging improvement across Minnesota following some recent rainfall. However, the areas experiencing the most significant drought saw little relief.
Our recent and honestly decent rainfall that fell in the past week helped chip away at this week’s latest drought monitor. The state is just under 90 percent for abnormally dry or in drought, which is down from over 95 percent last week. Also notable is the moderate drought fell from 76 percent to just under 70 percent.
The biggest concern remains the severe drought. 34.3 percent of the state remains in severe drought, only a slight improvement from the 35 percent last week. Even though some of the lighter drought classifications improved, the hardest-hit areas continue to struggle.
Rainfall over the past week was abundant across southern Minnesota, where many communities picked up 3 to 4 inches of rain. Meanwhile, parts of northern Minnesota that need the moisture most received less than 1 to 2 inches.
The latest map shows the most persistent drought centered across northern and northeastern Minnesota, where many locations have missed out on the heavier rainfall events that have benefited other parts of the state. Moderate drought also continues across much of central and Minnesota, while southern Minnesota is a mix of abnormally dry conditions and moderate drought.
Looking at the longer-term picture highlights just how quickly conditions have deteriorated this summer. Three months ago, nearly 70 percent of Minnesota had no drought, and only 0.4 percent of the state was in severe drought. Today, almost 90 percent of the state is in some drought classification, while more than one-third of the state is experiencing severe drought.
Additional widespread rainfall will be needed in the coming weeks to produce meaningful improvements in the drought's core. Bottom line is recent rain brought modest improvement around the edges of the drought, but the severe drought gripping northern Minnesota remains largely unchanged.
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