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Drought conditions are improving; the trend will continue next week

Umito November 15, 2024

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) – The latest U.S. drought report was released today and we continue to show improvements across much of Minnesota and Iowa.

Much of central and south-central Minnesota has moved from moderate drought to abnormally dry conditions. Severe drought has been downgraded in a small portion of western and southern Minnesota, but areas in the far west and southwest remain in the 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 over much of this area on Wednesday was not calculated in the update this week.

After a good weekend, we’re expecting a much more active regime that will bring more measurable rain and perhaps even some snow to much of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa next week. This means we will likely see even greater, potentially significant, improvements in the drought situation with the release of next Thursday’s Drought Monitor.

Below are this week’s and last week’s release from the US Drought Monitor.