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Drought Conditions Continue to Expand

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Nearly 97 percent of North Dakota is suffering from severe to exceptional drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. That’s up from 91 percent last week. The dry conditions are rapidly expanding in Minnesota. Seventy-two percent of the state is dealing with severe, extreme or exceptional drought, up from 52 percent last week. Ninety-nine percent of the spring wheat crop is in drought. Thirty-six percent of the corn and 31 percent of the soybeans nationwide are dealing with the drought conditions. Thirty-two percent of the U.S. cattle inventory are also faced with the lack of moisture.
 

Drought Townhalls Held

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North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring hosted town hall meetings Wednesday and Thursday. During the meeting, farmers, ranchers and other area residents in the Washburn, Rugby and Medora areas discussed the challenges created by extreme drought conditions. Leadership reviewed the state’s response and answered questions. More than two-thirds of North Dakota is in extreme or exceptional drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor.
 
The meetings were livestreamed on the governor’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GovernorDougBurgum/. For information on drought relief resources, visit www.ndresponse.gov.

Exceptional Drought Evident in North Dakota

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Drought is intensifying across North Dakota. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, moderate-to-exceptional drought covers 97%. 16% of North Dakota is now in the exceptional drought category, which covers all of McHenry, McLean and Oliver Counties and portions of surrounding counties in the north-central and west-central part of the state. Minnesota experienced a 17% increase in dry conditions this past week. There are patches of moderate and severe drought in northwestern and southern Minnesota. 
 
 
*These conditions are as of Tuesday, May 18 and do not reflect any recent rainfall.

Extreme Drought Encompasses 85% of North Dakota

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All of North Dakota is now experiencing either abnormally dry or some form of drought conditions. Extreme drought conditions increased 2% this past week. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor puts nearly 85% of the state in that category. 63% of Minnesota has good moisture, with the far southern and northwestern areas either abnormally dry or in moderate drought. The exception comes in Kittson and Marshall counties, where there is severe drought.
 
Check out the Drought Monitor.

Very Little Relief from Dry Conditions

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There was little relief from drought conditions across the Northern Plains this past week. Three-quarters of North Dakota remains in extreme drought. The far southeastern corner of the state is abnormally dry, while a narrow band spanning from the Red River Valley and west is in moderate and severe drought. The majority of Minnesota has sufficient moisture, with far southern and northwestern areas either abnormally dry or in moderate drought. The exception comes in Kittson County where there is severe drought.
 

Dry in the West, Wet in the East

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Rain and snow helped alleviate dry conditions across much of the Northern Plains, but extreme drought conditions worsened inareas not receiving this moisture. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows extreme drought conditions in North Dakota worsening to reflect growing moisture deficits. That extreme drought now covers 76 percent of the state, an increase of six percentage points from the previous week. Sargent and Richland Counties had a slight improvement in dry conditions. In Minnesota, locally heavy rainfall in the last week brought a two-category improvement in dryness across the western side of the state. There is also no more extreme drought in Kittson County.
 

Extreme Drought Conditions Expand

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For another week, drought conditions continue to expand across the Dakotas. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, extreme drought now covers 70 percent of North Dakota, including the west, central and northeastern portions of the state. The remaining portion is in moderate to severe drought. On the flip side, Minnesota’s dry conditions are improving, with much of the state in the abnormally dry to severe drought category. A corner of Kittson County in the northwestern part of the state is in extreme drought. View the latest Drought Monitor.
 

Dry Conditions Expand in North Dakota

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The lack of moisture and warmer than normal temperatures are causing extreme drought conditions to expand across the Dakotas. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, extreme drought now extends from border to border across 29 central and western counties in North Dakota. The remaining portion of North Dakota is in moderate to severe condition.
 
On the flip side, Minnesota’s dry conditions are improving, with only parts of Kittson, Marshall and Rock counties in severe drought. The western part of Minnesota ranges from abnormally dry to moderately dry.
 
 

Drought in Mexico Decreases Production Projections

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The U.S. Dry Bean Council August Planting Intentions report confirms that extended drought in Mexico during the critical planting period resulted in an almost 50 percent decrease in bean planting surface. That also means a production drop of over 56 percent against the Mexican Agricultural Secretary’s (SIAP/SADER) projections.
 
During the critical month of June 2019, precipitation was scarce causing moderate drought in areas in the key dry bean growing states of Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato and Zacatecas, delaying bean planting. July was classified as the driest month in history, according to national records. The lack of rain caused extreme stress in the beans planted in the last week of June, reducing the planting surface. Read more.

Severe Drought Reported in Northern ND

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Portions of northern North Dakota have moved into the severe drought. This is the first time this year these counties have been in the D2 or severe drought category. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the northern tier of counties is reporting delayed crop growth, poor pasture conditions and an increase in the culling of cattle herds. The northern half of North Dakota and extreme northwest Minnesota are dealing with abnormally dryness and moderate drought.