‘Exceptional Drought’ Has Developed in NW Minnesota as Drought Eases in SE MN

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Undated (KROC-AM News) - The updated US Drought Monitor Report shows drought conditions continued to ease last week in southeastern Minnesota while parts of northwestern Minnesota are seeing exceptional drought conditions for the first time in many years.

The report from the National Weather Service shows most of Olmsted, Fillmore, Houston, and Wabasha counties are now rated as abnormally dry, while most of Winona County, along with a large part of Houston County and a small area in Wabasha County represent the just over 1 percent of the entire state that is not experiencing a drought. The remainder of southeastern Minnesota has moderate drought conditions.

The worst of the drought statewide is occurring in northwestern Minnesota. That is where the seven percent of the state experiencing exceptional drought conditions is found. The areas of the state with extreme drought conditions, which are mainly found in central and northern Minnesota, increased from 35 to 42 percent during the past week.

There were modest decreases involving areas of the state with severe or moderate drought conditions. Nearly 70 percent of Minnesota is experiencing at least severe drought conditions and more than 95 percent has at least moderate drought conditions.

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