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Report: Drought Worsened Across Much of Minnesota
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UNDATED (KROC-AM News) - Over 90 percent of Minnesota is experiencing at least moderate drought conditions and close to 40 percent is now in severe drought.
The updated U.S. Drought Monitor Report issued today by the National Weather Service, which does not factor in the rain that fell across the state on Tuesday, shows the ongoing drought expanded significantly since the previous update a week ago to cover almost 93 percent of Minnesota. It reported last week that only about 11 percent of Minnesota was experiencing severe drought conditions, which have since expanded to cover most of the west half of the state.
In southeastern Minnesota, severe drought conditions were found in southwest Mower County and nearly all of Freeborn County. The remainder of the region was rated as being in a moderate drought, other than the extreme northeast corner of Olmsted County, northeast Fillmore County, the north half of Houston County, and nearly all of Winona and Wabasha Counties where the conditions are rated as abnormally dry.
Abnormally dry conditions were also found along the North Shore of Lake Superior and small pockets of northwestern Minnesota.
The National Weather Service says the current moisture deficit in the Rochester area is 2.9 inches since June 1st. Since the beginning of the year, the deficit is just over 6 inches.
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