Drought conditions improving thanks to recent rainfall, but concerns remain
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Sunshine was the reward Tuesday, following a few cloud-filled, rainy days. The weather drew a crowd at Lake Como in St. Paul.
"It's beautiful," Denay Brown said. "Yesterday was so gloomy, so it's nice to get outside."
"This is so beautiful," Michael Lundblad said. "We've all been waiting for this. It wasn't much of a winter, but we're all ready for spring."
Janette Johnson makes sure to get her steps in rain, shine or snow. But it's the lack of the latter that brings her concern.
"I'm kind of concerned we may have a drought," she said. "I was talking to my kids about it. 'Oh, mom, less winter!' And I said, 'Yeah, but lack of moisture. What's going to happen to our crops, our food supply?'"
It's an issue Department of Natural Resources Climatologist Pete Boulay follows closely.
"Things are looking better overall in the state than we were a month or two ago," Boulay said.
READ MORE: Drought conditions cause lower than usual water levels, DNR warns boaters
Thanks to recent rainfall, Boulay says the state sits above average in precipitation this month — but there's still concern over long-term impacts after several dry years.
"The dryness began in 2020. 2019 was the wettest year on record in Minnesota so really we had a lot of moisture in the bank so to speak to draw from," Boulay said. "So, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, four years in a row we've had overall in the state below normal precipitation, and it builds up over time."
Boulay says parts of the state are still 10 to 20 inches short of needed moisture.
"We'll have to wait and see what happens for the big picture," Boulay said. "Minnesota is a big state. Central and southern Minnesota got the rain this time. Northwest Minnesota completely missed out. The drought is actually beginning to look worse there."
Last week, the DNR reported that 40% of the state was experiencing severe to moderate drought conditions. The DNR releases its drought report on Thursdays.