Less Than Half of Minnesota Left In Drought; St. Cloud Region Sees Dramatic Improvement

(KNSI) – Less than half of the state is left in drought after heavy rains last week, and even a little snow.

Minnesota saw improvement in every category. The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows extreme drought fell to only 0.25% when readings were taken early Tuesday. Severe drought dropped to about 20% of the state, and moderate drought covers about 23%, including the St. Cloud area.

We aren’t out of the woods yet. Even where drought has eased, a vast majority of the state is still abnormally dry.

Central Minnesota saw some of the best improvement. In Benton County, severe drought, the second stage in a four-tier scale, fell from about 63% of the county to under 20%. Sherburne County only has moderate drought left. A week ago, about a fifth of the county was in severe drought.

Stearns County has some severe drought, located along the border with Morrison County in the north. Roughly the eastern half is in moderate drought, and the western side is only abnormally dry. Drought went from affecting 92% of Stearns County to only 55% in seven days.

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