Northern MN drought persists despite record-breaking rain

Areas of Northern Minnesota saw November rain that broke records, including some spanning back more than a century.

But was it enough to pull the region out of the long-term storage drought affecting water reserves like lakes and rivers?

That’s not likely, according to Department of Natural Resources State Climatologist Luigi Romolo.

“This rainfall has certainly put a dent into the storage drought. However, I would argue that most of that area is still well below normal over the last five to six years,” Romolo said.

Romolo said the region saw around 20 to 23 inches of precipitation less than usual in that timespan.

That’s a deficit equivalent to about a year's worth.

“If we make up a great deal of that long-term deficit right now, it's anywhere from 15 to 18 inches. Then, and only then, will we be able to get back to what we would call a normal situation,” Romolo said.

It’s not just the ground that’s dry. During a storage drought, heavy rains aren’t enough to replenish water levels.

Coming back from that is going to take more than a week of record-breaking rain.

“That's probably going to take at least a year or two,” Romolo said.

In the meantime, the storage drought makes the region more sensitive to future drought conditions.

Romolo said that’s actually what made it apparent that we were in a storage drought in the first place.

Typical drought conditions shouldn’t have led to the low lake levels and reduced stream flows the region saw this summer.

“When we started looking at the longer record, it started to make sense to us that we were starting to see the effects of the cumulative droughts that we've had since 2020,” Romolo said.

Water levels in rivers and lakes may rise with upcoming bouts of rain or snow, but the drought will still be around for some time.

The DNR encourages people to be mindful of their water use, drought or not.

You can learn how much water you are using compared to the average American home or view the U.S. Drought Monitor Map on the DNR website.

Stella Mayerhoff is a Report for America corps member, covering Minnesota’s headwaters region for KAXE in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Report for America places talented journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.