The drought is getting worse in parts of the State. University of Minnesota Climatologist, Pete Bouley, says the rain we'll possibly get on Tuesday will not help much.
"Well, we're a long way off from really making any meaningful changes with this kind of rain event that's coming through," says Boulay. "Basically, it's kind of a cold frontal passage type of rain. A few areas will get some pretty decent rains with thunderstorms. But the main focus is pretty much from the Twin Cities on northeast."
Boulay says places like Carlton County in northeastern Minnesota are under extreme drought conditions as is part of the southwestern part of the state. There is a wildfire burning in Carlton County near Barnum.
"We have such a large departure from normal," explains Boulay. "Just in the Twin Cities alone for this year, we're six and a half inches short of normal and even farther below normal as you go north of the Twin Cities. So, you know, any rain will help, but it's certainly not going to get us out of the woods."
He says dry conditions are leading to the threat of wildfires including one in Carlton County that has burned 40 acres of land so far.
The entire state is at least abnormally dry, and besides the two pockets of extreme drought, the Twin Cities and much of the eastern half of Minnesota are under moderate to severe drought.
This is the third consecutive year of drought across much of the state, and unfortunately, successive years of drought can compound stress on native wildlife and plant life such as grasslands, wetlands, lake levels and trees.
It also has a seasonal side effect you may not enjoy: Ragweed can flourish making your hay fever allergies much worse.