Minnesota drought: No ‘official’ improvement despite recent rain
MN weather: Cooler and bright Thursday
Thursday turns brighter and cooler with highs in the 60s and some filtered afternoon sunshine. Chilly overnight temperatures follow before a sunny Friday. FOX 9 meteorologist Cody Matz has the forecast.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota is still 7 inches below average rainfall for the year, despite multiple inches of rain recorded at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in the past week.
September rain brings relief, but drought lingers
What we know:
September has become the wettest month of the year so far in Minnesota, with MSP recording nearly four inches of rain this month — almost an inch above average, according to FOX 9 meteorologists.
Dig deeper:
The Twin Cities metro was downgraded from extreme to severe drought conditions last week, but one slightly above-average week of rain is not enough to officially end any drought conditions, with the state's data showing no official improvements yet.
The backstory:
Rainfall during Minnesota's main summer months was significantly lacking, with August coming in 7 inches below average, which explains much of the ongoing drought conditions.
While September has helped chip away at that gap, the progress is limited.
Northern Wisconsin drought
Big picture view:
While several areas have seen improvement, parts of northern Wisconsin are still experiencing exceptional drought, or the worst category on the drought scale.
Overall rainfall is running at a roughly 25% of average for the area since May 1, 2206, with rainfall totals for the growing season running between 4 and 8 inches. Many of these areas would typically receive between 18 and 24 inches of rain during that same period.
The Source: Information provided by FOX 9 meteorologists.