Drought Conditions Significantly Improve Across Southern Two Thirds of Minnesota

(KNSI) — The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows the dry conditions around the state are improving, thanks to recent heavy rainfall.

The National Weather Service says a large part of central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin received 3 to 6″ of rain. Some areas received even more than that.

Last week, 57.65% of the state was in extreme or exceptional drought. This week, that figure is down to 37.73%. That includes 6.78% of the state in exceptional drought, down from 8.07%.

Last week’s figures showed eastern Stearns County, all of Benton and Sherburne Counties, and most of Morrison and Wright Counties were experiencing extreme drought. This week, that same swath is in the severe drought category.

August was the wettest month in the last year in the St. Cloud area. St. Cloud had 3.63 inches of rainfall in August, which is still a tenth of an inch below average for the month. The heaviest rain in 24 hours came on August 24th with 1.41 inches. The most rainfall in an hour came on Saturday when .94 inches fell between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. August has been the rainiest month in the St. Cloud area since July 2020, when 5.39 inches of rain fell.

The northern third of Minnesota, roughly from Highway 2 and north, is still seeing the driest of conditions, with exceptional drought cutting from northwestern Koochiching County and southeastern Lake of the Woods County, through portions of Beltrami, Clearwater, Polk, Red Lake, Mahnomen, and Norman Counties.

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