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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

On-again drought lowers water levels

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 6/16/21

REGIONAL—The region’s on-again, off-again flirtation with drought appears to be on-again, and that’s apparent in the continuing drop in water levels around the area. While scattered …

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On-again drought lowers water levels

Posted

REGIONAL—The region’s on-again, off-again flirtation with drought appears to be on-again, and that’s apparent in the continuing drop in water levels around the area. While scattered thundershowers have helped at times, the region continues to fall behind during what is normally the wettest time of the year.
The North Country relies on a five-month wet season, which runs May-September, for nearly two-thirds of its annual precipitation, so shortfalls during the summer months are difficult to make up. May precipitation was well below average and most stations in the region are running below normal so far in June, as well.
That has left river levels continuing to fall, with all major Arrowhead watersheds now reporting low water levels.
The continuing below average precipitation is part of a dry pattern that has encompassed virtually the entire western half of the country and has most recently moved into the Great Lakes region as well. The latest drought map from the U.S. Drought Monitor now shows all of Minnesota in various stages of drought, with drought conditions spreading east across much of Wisconsin and virtually all of Michigan. Just to the west, virtually all of North Dakota is currently experiencing extreme to exceptional drought, the most intense category of drought.
The weekend forecast offers mostly sunny skies, with only a chance for scattered showers. Temperatures will be seasonable, with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s.