Pockets of Minnesota have seen adequate summer precipitation

We’ve talked a lot about drought again this summer in Minnesota. This is the third straight year we’ve plunged into a summer of flash drought in many areas.

But there are pockets in Minnesota that have received adequate rainfall this summer, and some of those areas are among the most productive cropland in the state.

Here are some areas that are not in drought as of Thursday’s update (see the map above):

• In the north, from International Falls through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

• Near Moorhead in the northwest and Willmar in west-central Minnesota.

• Along either side of the Minnesota River Valley in southwestern Minnesota, including Granite Falls, Redwood Falls to Mankato all the way south to the Iowa border.

The remainder of Minnesota is in moderate to severe drought. You can see the deepest drought zone in southeastern Minnesota where extreme drought is present.

Here’s this week’s drought discussion for the Midwest region.

Midwest Drought Summary

For the week, light precipitation accumulations (<2 inches) were observed across areas of northern Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula Michigan, and northern Michigan. On the map, degradations were made in areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois where both short- and long-term precipitation deficits persist. Conversely, rainfall during the past 30-60-day period and improving soil moisture and surface water conditions led to removal of areas of Moderate Drought (D1) and Severe Drought (D2) in Michigan. Average temperatures for the week were below normal (1 to 3 degrees F) across much of the region except for areas of southern Missouri, southern Illinois, and central Wisconsin where temperatures were a few degrees above normal.

Drought conditions ease in western U.S.

It’s remarkable how much the wetter precipitation pattern over the last year has helped erase drought in the western United States.

Check out the drought maps from this time last year compared with this week’s update.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s outlooks for the next two weeks favor warmer-than-average temperatures and near to below-average rainfall for our region.