Drought expands

Due to the now month-long dry spell with only some isolated rain activity, we’ve seen an expansion of areas classified in drought by about 5% in southeast MN and northeast IA. Northeast Iowa is seeing a rapid increase from moderate to severe drought, closer to Waterloo. Moderate drought has developed in Houston County in southeast Minnesota, and more of southeast Minnesota is now classified as Abnormally Dry. This will likely continue to expand through the next week. The next update from the U.S. Drought Monitor will come out next Thursday.