Minnesota
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is updated each Thursday to show the location and intensity of drought across the country. This map shows drought conditions across Minnesota using a five-category system, from Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions to Exceptional Drought (D4). The USDM is a joint effort of the National Drought Mitigation Center, USDA, and NOAA. Learn more.
The following state-specific drought impacts were compiled by the National Drought Mitigation Center. While these impacts are not exhaustive, they can help provide a clearer picture of drought in Minnesota.
- Soil moisture is low; pasture and row crops are stressed
- Fire danger increases
- Lake and river levels decline; water temperatures rise
- Winter snow events are canceled
- River and lake levels are lower than normal
- Ground is hard; seed corn is short; feed is expensive; crop yields are low
- Fire danger is high; burn permits are required
- River flow is very low; snowpack is significantly lower; well levels decrease
- Corn is harvested early; emergency haying and grazing are authorized
- Wildfires are widespread
- Surface waters are near record lows
- Minnesota has experienced little or no exceptional (D4) drought, so there are no D4-level drought impacts recorded in the Drought Impact Reporter.
- Soil moisture is low; pasture and row crops are stressed
- Fire danger increases
- Lake and river levels decline; water temperatures rise
- Winter snow events are canceled
- River and lake levels are lower than normal
- Ground is hard; seed corn is short; feed is expensive; crop yields are low
- Fire danger is high; burn permits are required
- River flow is very low; snowpack is significantly lower; well levels decrease
- Corn is harvested early; emergency haying and grazing are authorized
- Wildfires are widespread
- Surface waters are near record lows
- Minnesota has experienced little or no exceptional (D4) drought, so there are no D4-level drought impacts recorded in the Drought Impact Reporter.
- Soil moisture is low; pasture and row crops are stressed
- Fire danger increases
- Lake and river levels decline; water temperatures rise
- Winter snow events are canceled
- River and lake levels are lower than normal
- Ground is hard; seed corn is short; feed is expensive; crop yields are low
- Fire danger is high; burn permits are required
- River flow is very low; snowpack is significantly lower; well levels decrease
- Corn is harvested early; emergency haying and grazing are authorized
- Wildfires are widespread
- Surface waters are near record lows
- Minnesota has experienced little or no exceptional (D4) drought, so there are no D4-level drought impacts recorded in the Drought Impact Reporter.
Explore Drought Conditions by City and County
View up-to-date drought conditions down to the city and county level, including temperature, and precipitation conditions, key drought indicators, outlooks, historical conditions, and water supply, agriculture, and public health maps.
Drought in Minnesota from 2000–Present
The U.S. Drought Monitor started in 2000. Since 2000, the longest duration of drought (D1–D4) in Minnesota lasted 146 weeks beginning on August 30, 2011, and ending on June 10, 2014. The most intense period of drought occurred the week of August 17, 2021, where D4 affected 8.07% of Minnesota land.
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is a national map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are currently in drought. The USDM relies on drought experts to synthesize the best available data and work with local observers to interpret the information. The USDM also incorporates ground truthing and information about how drought is affecting people, via a network of more than 450 observers across the country, including state climatologists, National Weather Service staff, Extension agents, and hydrologists. Learn more.
The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is an index to characterize meteorological drought on a range of timescales, ranging from 1 to 72 months. The SPI is the number of standard deviations that observed cumulative precipitation deviates from the climatological average. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information produce the 9-month SPI values below on a monthly basis, going back to 1895. Learn more.
Tree rings are used to extend the instrumental record of drought to over 2,000 years. The Living Blended Drought Product (LBDP) is a recalibrated data series of June-July-August Palmer Modified Drought Index (PMDI) values in the lower 48 U.S. states. This dataset blends tree-ring reconstructions and instrumental data to estimate the average summer PMDI values, which extend over 2,000 years in some parts of the U.S. Learn more.
Web Resources for Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | Drought in Minnesota
2009 Minnesota Statewide Drought Plan
Minnesota State Climatology Office
Minnesota Volunteer Precipitation Observing Program (MNgage)
University of Minnesota Extension | Extreme Weather Resources
NDMC | Minnesota Drought Planning Resources
USDA Farm Service Agency | Minnesota
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office | ABR - Aberdeen, SD
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office | ARX - La Crosse, WI
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office | DLH - Duluth, MN
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office | FGF - Grand Forks, ND
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office | FSD - Sioux Falls, SD
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office | MPX - Twin Cities, MN
Midwestern Regional Climate Center
USDA | Northern Forests Climate Hub
Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center
Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA, a NOAA RISA team)
National Weather Service | Central Region Headquarters
National Weather Service | North Central River Forecast Center (NCRFC)
National Weather Service | Missouri River Basin River Forecast Center (MBRFC)
Tell us how drought is impacting your community by submitting a condition monitoring report. Your submissions help us better understand how drought is affecting local conditions.