Central Minnesota Stuck In Severe Drought As Part Of State Hits Extreme

(KNSI) – A small corner of Minnesota has slipped into extreme drought, the first time any part of the state has reached that category in 2026.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday, 0.71% of Minnesota is in extreme drought, the second-most severe of the monitor’s five categories. The affected area sits in west-central Minnesota along the North Dakota border between Moorhead and East Grand Forks. A week earlier, no part of the state was in extreme drought.

The rest of the picture barely moved week to week, but conditions remain widespread. Severe drought now covers 44.86% of Minnesota, up from 44.78%. Three-quarters of the state, 75.20%, is in at least moderate drought, and 88.17% is abnormally dry or worse. Just 11.83% of Minnesota is drought-free.

Central Minnesota, including Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties, falls inside the broad band of severe drought that stretches from the western border across the middle of the state and north toward the Iron Range.

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center says the drought is likely to persist into October.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has placed the Mississippi Headwaters watershed under its Drought Warning Response Phase, citing what state climatologists call a “storage drought,” a critical depletion of lake levels, soil moisture and groundwater. St. Cloud sits within the affected watershed. The city says it is working with the DNR for guidance.

The Mississippi River remains a reliable source of drinking water for St. Cloud, but officials say conservation is a key part of the response. The city is encouraging residents to cut back on water use both indoors and out.

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