The latest U.S Drought Monitor was released Thursday and it continues to show improvement across much of Minnesota.
Much of central and south central Minnesota has been downgraded from moderate drought to abnormally dry conditions. Severe drought has been downgraded in a small part of western and southern Minesota, but far western and southwestern areas remain in severe drought category.
It’s important to note that the data cutoff for this week’s Drought Monitor was Tuesday, so the 0.5 to 1 inch of rain that fell across much of the area on Wednesday was not calculated into this week’s update.
After a nice weekend, a much more active pattern will bring more measurable rain and possibly even a little snow to much of southern Minnesota next week. This means we will likely see even more, potentially significant, improvements in the drought situation with the release of next Thursday’s Drought Monitor.
