Drought Continues to Relax Its Grip on Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Updated information shows that the drought continues to relax its grip on Minnesota.

The new map from the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday shows that only about half the state is now in drought, compared with two-thirds last week.

Some of the biggest improvements have been in southeastern Minnesota, including much of the Twin Cities metro area, as well as northeastern Minnesota. The driest parts of the state remain a pocket of northwestern Minnesota and a swath from the southwest corner of the state up to central Minnesota.

Over 91 percent of the state is still considered abnormally dry. But the situation has been improving thanks to recent precipitation and the snow finally melting, which are recharging soil moisture and lake and stream levels.