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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Most of region back in moderate drought

Drought severity after months of below normal precipitation

Posted

REGIONAL— Drought conditions are building across Minnesota, including virtually all of northeastern Minnesota, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. As of last Thursday, all but the northwestern-most corner of St. Louis County was listed in moderate drought, and most forecasters are predicting an intensifying drought heading into spring.

While the first half of 2014 was wetter than usual, dry weather set in beginning last August, and the dry pattern continued right through the winter. Since Aug. 1, 2014, most reporting stations in northeastern Minnesota are running as much as 50 percent below their normal precipitation.

A reporting station three miles east of Orr has recorded just 6.98 inches of total precipitation since Aug. 1. Normally, the area would have seen 14.43 inches during the same period. While that may be among the most severe examples in the area, other locations, such as Tower, Hibbing, and Lake Kabetogama are all running at least five inches below normal precipitation since Aug. 1.

Some meteorologists have dubbed the situation a “flash drought,” a term which has come into more frequent use in recent years. It’s generally defined as a severe, short-term event characterized by limited precipitation and often accompanied by abnormally high temperatures.

Whether the latest drought is the start of a longer-term dry spell remains to be seen, but April-June forecasts issued March 19 by the National Climate Prediction Center shows northern Minnesota facing a high probability of both below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperature. Those factors combined would put the region in the bull’s eye for a worsening drought.

Meanwhile, water levels are running well below normal for this time of year. The melting of this winter’s limited snowpack did little to raise stream levels, and some major rivers in the region, including the Vermilion, Kawishiwi, and Basswood rivers are listed in low flow condition.