Let’s Play ‘Weather Good News/Bad News,’ Rain in the Forecast, So Are Severe Storms

Central Minnesota crops, lawns, gardens, and splash pads all really need a healthy dose of rain -- and finally there's some in the upcoming forecast. That's the good news. The other side of that coin is that the possibility of severe storms are in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor has Central Minnesota's drought conditions ranging from 'Abnormally Dry' to 'Moderate Drought.' So yes, we really do need the rain.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor:

Drought impacts are beginning to intensify in the Upper Midwest, including wildfire risk, water supply concerns for agriculture, municipalities, and landscaping, and crop stress due to a lack of soil moisture. Municipal water supply concerns are impacting western and central Iowa, where drought has been an issue since summer 2020.

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What we don't want or need are large hail and damaging winds, which according to the National Weather Service are a possibility across our area this evening and overnight tonight.

That risk of severe weather increases in likelihood, and shifts to the south and east for Thursday.

In addition to a chance of rain tonight and tomorrow, we'll have another shot at precipitation this Saturday night through Monday.

After that, things look mainly dry and bleak overall for the rest of the summer according to NOAA's summer outlook:

Summer outlooks (June-August) are leaning slightly towards the potential for above-normal temperatures. With this potential for extreme heat and the current water deficits, it is likely that drought conditions will persist throughout summer.

That's not the news that anyone in agriculture, or with a lawn or garden in their yard wants to hear. As Luke Bryan sings, 'Rain is a good thing!'