Moderate drought conditions worsen across Minnesota, Wisconsin

The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows conditions are becoming increasingly drier across the region.

On Thursday morning, the report said nearly all of Minnesota – 99.49% – is in an abnormally dry or worse condition. Last week, that number was at 85.59%, an increase of nearly 14%. The only areas not reporting any kind of dryness are the far west portions of Traverse and Big Stone Counties.

Meanwhile, half of the state – 50.73%, is in a moderate drought or worse, up from 42.97% last week. This includes the north, east, and southeast metro areas.

Severe and extreme drought percentages continue to hold steady from last week at 12.42% and 0.25%, respectively. At this time last year, there were no areas in extreme or severe drought, and 27.2% of the state was in a moderate drought, while 43.38% wasn’t reporting any kind of dry condition.

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In Wisconsin, most of the northern part of the state is seeing moderate drought or worse conditions. Just over 9% of the state isn’t reporting any kind of dry condition – most of this area lies in the southeast part of the state.

Moderate drought or worse conditions cover 65.65% of the state, with severe drought covering 17.07% of Wisconsin. Last week, moderate drought covered only 40.9% of the state, marking a 24.74% increase.

A year ago, none of Wisconsin was in severe or moderate drought, and less than 1.5% was experiencing any kind of abnormally dry condition.

As reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS earlier this week, the Wisconsin DNR has asked the public to avoid all outdoor burning due to the entire state facing high wildfire risk.

The latest seven-day forecast calls for windy conditions through Saturday, with some storms and isolated showers possible from Sunday through Wednesday. CLICK HERE for the latest forecast from Minnesota’s Weather Authority.