The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows much of Minnesota in a drought with our minimal snowfall so far this season.
Minnesota DNR Climatologist Pete Boulay says rains in November and December helped the Twin Cities area, but most everywhere else in the state is pretty dry right now.
"We did have some rain in November and December that really kind of lifted, east-central Minnesota out of the drought, but unfortunately those rains didn't fall across northern Minnesota as much," says Boulay. "So there the drought's more intense in the north, and also the west. There's still a moderate drought in southwest Minnesota and west central Minnesota too."
But Boulay says there's no reason for concern at this point with still plenty of winter left.
"In recent years, February has been a real high flyer for snow, so we'll have to wait and see what happens," he says. "A lot can happen in the next two months. So you know, we could have more improvement. I don't see the drought getting that much worse unless we really have a dry February and dry March."
Is there any snow in the forecast though? The answer from WCCO-TV Chief Meteorologist Chris Shaffer is a resounding no.
"Yeah, so snow lovers, this is very reminiscent of last year," Shaffer says. "We just, we're not picking it up. Last January we only picked up 2-inches of snow. We've had 1.7-inches this January. So pretty close."
Shaffer says you make seem some flakes Monday, but don't expect much.
"Little flurries coming through today, they're not gonna amount to anything," says Shaffer. "Then I don't see anything for the rest of the week and it's the 31st already on Friday."
As for the snow that is out there? It won't last long with a January thaw on the way. High temperatures in central Minnesota will stick in the mid-30s and even creep into the 40s all week.
Shaffer adds that in the Twin Cities, we're a foot and a half below average snowfall, so February and March have some catching up to do.
