Over 45 Percent Of MN Under Drought Conditions

MINNESOTA — Just over 45 percent of the state of Minnesota is suffering under drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

That's down from where it was last week, at about 52 percent of the state, thanks to heavy rainfall.

However, about 19 percent of the state is still under "severe drought" conditions, and around 4 percent is experiencing an "extreme" drought.

The good news is that there are several chances for more rain in the days to come.

Here's the specific NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

Thursday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 11am and 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 2am and 5am, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 5am. Low around 67. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11am, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Some storms could be severe, with large hail and damaging winds. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Some storms could be severe, with large hail and damaging winds. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 63. West northwest wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 83. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming east southeast 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 2pm. High near 76. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2am, then a chance of showers. Low around 61. West wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers before 8pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 58. North wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west after midnight.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Breezy, with a southwest wind 10 to 20 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.