(KNSI) – The U.S. Drought Monitor reports our record Christmas Eve rain did the trick.
Central Minnesota and the St. Cloud area saw significant improvement. Western Stearns County is back to normal, not even abnormally dry, from Paynesville up to Sauk Centre. Moderate drought remains in the northeastern corner, including Sartell, Le Sauk Township, and St. Stephen.
Benton County is still completely in moderate drought, but Sherburne County has dropped to only 38%. Moderate drought is only the first stage of the four-tier system.
The state as a whole benefitted, too, although not quite as much. Severe drought fell from about 18% to near 12.4%. The percentage of the state in any stage of drought dropped to 40.24% from 44.92%.
Areas that had been dry but not officially in drought also improved. Nearly 15% of Minnesota is back to normal soil moisture, up from less than two percent the week before. The area mostly tracks Interstate 94 from central Stearns County to Moorhead on the north side and the Minnesota River towards New Ulm on the south.
Parts of Mower and Fillmore Counties are still in extreme drought, the third stage of the U.S. Drought Monitor system. Severe drought starts at the Manitoba/Minnesota/North Dakota border and arcs south through Cass County. It also has a foothold in the extreme southeastern part of the state along the Iowa border.
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