Drought in Northern Itasca, Minnesota

Moderate (D1) drought conditions covered around 54 percent of Itasca County at the beginning of June, but conditions degraded further throughout the month. Moderate drought expanded to cover the entire county, while severe (D2) drought developed and expanded to around 82 percent coverage by the end of the month. The cooperative observers at Northome 3S, Grand Rapids Forestry Lab, and Pokegama Dam recorded 3.89, 3.66, and 2.53 inches of precipitation, respectively. These values were 0.34, 1.04, and 2.10 inches below average.

Moderate (D1) to severe (D2) drought conditions expanded across central and northern Minnesota during June 2026, with abnormally dry (D0) areas in Koochiching and St. Louis counties deteriorating into moderate and severe drought, while existing moderate drought across Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, and Itasca counties intensified to severe drought covering up to 97 percent of individual counties. High spatial variability in precipitation occurred across the region; while locations such as Leech Lake (5.55 inches) and Brimson 2S (5.76 inches) received above-average rainfall, substantial deficits elsewhere'most notably at International Falls Intl Airport (1.37 inches, 2.41 inches below average) and Pokegama Dam (2.53 inches, 2.10 inches below average)'allowed severe drought to establish a firm foothold across the area by the end of the month.