(KNSI) — The latest U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday morning shows that the dry conditions in central Minnesota are worsening.
The numbers show 97.5% of Benton County, a 27% slice of Sherburne County and 25.5% of Stearns County is in the D2 or severe drought category.
The NOAA Drought Information System shows in Benton County, May was the fifth driest on record over the past 129 years. In Sherburne and Stearns County, it was the fourth driest May on record, with a combined rain deficit in the tri-county area of roughly 2.5″ inches.
Seventy-seven percent of the state is now considered abnormally dry. That’s up 5% from last week.
High evaporation rates from soils and vegetation over the past one to two months have resulted in large losses to soil moisture, with stream flows also dropping significantly across the Upper Midwest. Half of the nation’s corn and soybean production areas are affected by drought. Just over half of the U.S. hog inventory, 42% of the cattle inventory, 36% of the milk cow inventory and 32% of the alfalfa hay acreage are also affected by drought.
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