Drought conditions expand to nearly all Minnesota

Drought conditions continue to expand across the state, according to data released Thursday. Nearly the entire state is experiencing a level of drought.

Drought conditions expand

As October wraps up, nearly all of our state is in some sort of drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report. Moderate drought conditions increased from 86 percent to greater than 90 percent.

The most significant changes are in areas experiencing severe drought, which increased to 51 percent of the state, up from 42 percent last week.

The beneficial rain of more than one-half inch on Oct. 24 didn’t provide as much relief as expected. As we enter a more active weather pattern, however, forecast models indicate that rain totals in the metro area could reach 2 to 3 inches by early November.

Halloween precipitation

With Halloween's rain and snowfall, we can expect some impressive snowfall rates in the Twin Cities region. This snow should help alleviate drought conditions. We’re hopeful for improvements in next week’s update.