Drought Information Statement for Central/Southern MN and Western WI
Valid May 21, 2026
Issued By: National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen, MN
Contact Information: nws.twincities@noaa.gov
This product will be updated June 18, 2026 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly.  
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/MPX/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.
Driest conditions remain in southwest and western MN
Rainfall May 17-18 enough to keep drought expansion at bay
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U.S. Drought Monitor

Drought intensity and Extent
D4 (Exceptional Drought): No areas.
D3 (Extreme Drought): No areas.
D2 (Severe Drought): No areas.
D1 (Moderate Drought): Portions of Lac Qui Parle and Yellow Medicine counties in western MN
D0: (Abnormally Dry): Parts of central MN and west central into south central MN
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Recent Change in Drought Intensity
Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. 
Drought Worsened: west central into south central MN
 
No Change: Most of the region

Drought Improved: Some small portions of southwest and central MN
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Precipitation
Over the last 30 days, the region has seen near to below normal precipitation.

Over the last 90 days, the dryness in western MN stands out


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Temperature
Going back the last 30 days, temperatures have been  running at to above normal across the region.

The greatest warm temperature departures have been observed from west central through south central MN

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Summary of Impacts
Hydrologic Impacts 
Stream flows are trending toward the lower end of the normal band (USGS Streamflows, MN Streamflow)

Agricultural Impacts
The planting season is quickly winding down, with soil moisture currently near normal (State USDA Crop Reports)

Fire Hazard Impacts
The combination of recent rain, cooler temperatures, and green vegetation, the fire danger has decreased considerably since the start of May (MN Fire Danger, WI Fire Danger)

Other Impacts
No known additional impacts at this time.

Mitigation Actions
None currently in place.


Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts
As rainfall has come up short of normal in May, we’re starting to see some streams just dropping into low flow levels. 

Lowest streamflows are currently being observed in the Mississippi River headwaters.

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Agricultural Impacts
Crop moisture is still holding near normal.
Satellite derived soil moisture is showing some drying out of soils, especially in southwest MN.

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Fire Hazard Impacts
Fire danger in southern MN and western WI has come down considerably since the start of May


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Seven Day Precipitation Forecast
Beneficial rains were forecast for western MN on May 22nd

After that, it looks generally dry for the next 2 weeks


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Long-Range Outlooks
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
There is high uncertainty for the June outlooks

This results in no strong signal for above or below normal temperatures or precipitation

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Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Drier than normal conditions going into the summer are expected to result in expansion of drought across MN
Links to the latest:
Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook 
Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook 
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