Weekend rain eases dry conditions in SW MN; drought still expected

Rain over the weekend is helping ease dry conditions in areas south of the Twin Cities.

Redwood Falls received nearly six-tenths of an inch of rain over the weekend. The National Weather Service says North Mankato got the most rain in southwestern Minnesota, at over four-and-a-quarter inches.

More rain is likely in the early part of this week, with chances declining as the week wears on.

That said, Minnesota authorities are bracing for an extended wildfire season, saying the typical summer reprieve is looking more and more unlikely. Wildfires are typically at their worst in the spring and fall, slowing down in the summer when trees and plants are fully green and rain increases.

But more than half of the state is experiencing drought conditions and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects dry weather to continue through the summer. More wildfires had already broken out across the state by mid-June than in all of last year. The state typically has fewer than 1,200 wildfires a year, burning roughly 39 square miles. More than 1,425 fires have burned nearly 55,000 square miles of forest and grassland.