Low water levels in lakes and streams, brown crunchy grass, and watering bans. These are just a few of the effects the 2021 Summer Drought has had on us here in Minnesota. While we do have a chance of seeing some scattered showers and thunderstorms late Friday night into early Saturday morning, these storms will not make much impact on the drought across the state.
The latest data from the USDA Drought Monitor that was released on Thursday, July 22nd, 2021, shows the extreme drought category starting to expand for portions of the state. Nearly 75% of the state is in at least a severe drought. Portions of Wright County are under a severe drought, with the southern half and McLeod County under a moderate drought. The graphic below shows the drought monitor as of Thursday.
While we have seen some passing showers and thunderstorms in the month of July, those totals are nowhere near the amount of rain needed to help our drought situation. The graphic below shows our departure from average in terms of precipitation from June 23rd to July 22nd. A 4″+ departure from normal can be seen off towards St. Louis, Lake, and Cook counties in northern Minnesota.
An essential tip for watering your plants is to water between sunset and sunrise. With the temperatures cooler compared to during the day, evaporation is limited, resulting in the moisture sticking around longer. More tips can be found from the South Dakota State University Extension Office by clicking here.