Latest news with #BrianFuchs
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Maps show Minnesota is experiencing a moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions in 80% of state
Even with the recent rains, moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions continue to cover 80% of Minnesota. This week's drought update did show a little improvement across western Minnesota and the metro. However, the dry conditions did expand across the Arrowhead where wildfires continue to burn. As of May 20, pockets of moderate drought across western and north-central Minnesota still covered about 18% of the state. That's down from 22% last week. U.S. Drought Monitor One reason for the limited change in drought is because this week's map did not include any of the precipitation falling after 7 a.m. Tuesday. According to Brian Fuchs, one of the climatologists who helps draft the maps, that is the arbitrary time selected to cutoff the data. "We have to have a data cutoff time. From the beginning of the Drought Monitor process that started back in the late 90s, it's always been this Tuesday through Tuesday period," Fuchs said. "Sometimes those precipitation events that happen after the data cutoff can be confusing for users, and it is something that we try to relay and make sense of for them." Since that data cutoff time, anywhere from one to three inches of rain fell from Fargo to the metro and into southern Wisconsin. That data will show on the next update released on May 29. However, northern Minnesota saw significantly less. With little additional rain in the forecast over the next week, it is possible that the drought continues to expand across the Arrowhead. NOTE: The video attached to this article originally aired on May 21, 2025.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Despite week of rain, Minnesota still in "moderate drought," officials say
This week's wet weather has been a welcome sight given the ongoing drought and recent fires in the Northland. The latest drought monitor map, released May 15, still shows almost a quarter of Minnesota in a moderate drought. "We look at hundreds of pieces of data each week," said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center. Rainfall, soil moisture, and lake levels are just a few of the variables needed to figure out just how bad a drought is. "And this assessment is done manually. We don't plug all this data into a computer model that spits out a map," Fuchs said. He says that information is extremely valuable for just about everyone from farmers to firefighters, especially after a warm, dry winter. "And that's kind of what we've been seeing in the northern part of the state," said Fuchs. "There's quite a bit of fuel available and that dryness has kind of been lingering on into the spring." Fuchs has been drawing the drought maps with a number of colleages for 20 years. He said the 2 to 4 inches of rain across southern Minnesota this week will certainly help, but it's more than just the amount. "We know that 2 inches of rain over a half hour is very different than two inches of rain over 24 hours, especially in states that agriculture is a big part of the economy," said Fuchs. "And so, trying to figure out exactly what happened with that rainfall — when it happened, did it all run off? Did some go into the soil? Did none go into the soil?" He said that analysis wouldn't be possible without the help of nearly 500 contributors across the country — acting as the eyes and ears on the ground. "Having that kind of expertise, contributing week in and week out through their state climate office that you have up in Minnesota is a great attribute to not only the state of Minnesota, but also the importance of the Drought Monitor and making sure we get it right," said Fuchs. With less rain across northern Minnesota, Fuchs anticipates the drought will worsen there. You can find the newest map each Thursday morning here.
Boston Globe
14-02-2025
- Climate
- Boston Globe
A cold winter stalls New England's recovery from summer-fall drought
By comparison, last winter was much warmer: The season delivered well above-average temperatures across all six New England states, reaching 5 degrees above the climatological average and resulting in far more rain than snow falling across the region. Meanwhile, this winter's average temperature in New England is actually pacing below the norm by about a half degree, something that hasn't happened since the winter of 2018-19 (the average temperature slipped 0.38 degrees below normal that season). The colder winter has also meant more rounds of snow from passing storms, hindering an already slow drought recovery. As a result, parts of New England remain in some level of drought - currently moderate to severe drought, with the worst conditions across Southern New England, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday. Advertisement 'We track streamflow, groundwater, and how much water is getting into lakes and ponds,' said Vandana Rao, director of water policy for Massachusetts. 'Recently, we've seen precipitation events mostly come in the form of snow, but the moisture we need is locked up in the snow, preventing any immediate impacts with continuing decreasing water levels.' Much of the state has seen water-level deficits reach 8 to 13 inches since the onset of drought in late August. And the cold air is really to blame. Snowmelt isn't occurring and with frozen topsoil, any melting struggles to actually get into the ground. Advertisement The lack of intensity from the storms our region has been seeing in January and February, with dry spells in between, has worsened the problem. 'It has been a drier than normal winter, even with the recent precipitation events, and what has been alarming throughout the region is that when we have hit dry patches, groundwater and well water supplies have dropped much more rapidly, telling us that there are underlying drought issues that are going to take some time to resolve,' said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. If this active weather pattern continues, Fuchs said, there could 'be good opportunities to see the drought intensity ease and in some cases, it will be removed completely.' But right now, he said, with 'snow staying on the ground along with frozen soils, it is very hard to see that precipitation absorbed into the local hydrologic systems.' And with a double-digit deficit continuing, it's going to take persistent weather patterns producing rain instead of snow to pull Massachusetts and much of the region out of the drought. The decrease in water use for landscaping, pool and other recreational needs as well as agricultural needs does help, according to Rao. There is light at the end of the tunnel as we work closer to spring and more rainstorms may head our way. It'll come down to storm track, which this winter has favored more of an inside track, limiting warmer air and moisture needed for rain to push into the region. Our storms have been relatively mild, although conditions may likely change in the coming weeks. Advertisement In fact, 'The upcoming rain could help increase streamflows and perhaps river levels, though it would take more frequent precipitation for a meaningful improvement,' said Brad Pugh, meteorologist with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. New England is likely to end the month at average or above in terms of precipitation. Boston Globe Looking ahead, Pugh added, 'Our seasonal drought outlook calls for improving conditions and even drought removal in some areas.' He predicts New England could see improving drought conditions over the next couple of months. Globe correspondent Chris Gloninger contributed to this report. Ken Mahan can be reached at
