Drought worse, fire danger up, and a record high is set
Winds gusting to over 40 mph in western Minnesota Thursday, turned the sky hazy. blowing dirt as farmers progress rapidly with their harvest and field work.
By Reed Anfinson
Benson set a record high for Oct. 21 when the temperature reached 82 degrees at the National Weather Service’s recording station at the municipal airport.
The old record was 78 degrees set in 1953 - the first year Benson started keeping daily weather records.
So far this month, highs have been 6 degrees above average at 67.9 degrees while lows at 39.0 degrees have been 2 tenths of a degree below average.
As of Oct. 23, the average high is 55 degrees and the average low 34 degrees.
The area and much of Minnesota could see the driest September through October period on record if rain doesn’t fall soon.
So far in October, the area has seen just 5 hundredths of an inch of rain. September recorded only 1 tenth of an inch of rain for a two month total of 15 hundredths of an inch. The two months combined average 5.07 inches of rain.
As of last Friday, the statewide average rainfall this month is only 0.26 inches, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources climatology office reported.
It lists the following as the five driest Octobers in state history based on statewide average precipitation:
Year Rain
1952 0.13
1889 0.14
1895 0.27
1944 0.35
1976 0.46
This week’s U.S. Drought Monitor showed that 97% of Minnesota is abnormally dry, while 72% of the landscape is in at least moderate drought, and of that amount 28% is in Severe Drought.
“Stream levels and lake levels continue to decline and landscape vegetation is drying out,” the DNR reported “It is no surprise that according to the recent fire danger maps from the MN-DNR all of the state counties are rated High, Very High, or Extreme in terms of fire danger.”
Twice last week the NWS issued Red Flag Warnings for all of western Minnesota. “A Red Flag Warning means fires can spread quickly and easily progress out of control under the predicted weather conditions, including gusty winds and low relative humidity,” the NWS said.
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