Drought in Crow Wing, Minnesota

Moderate (D1) drought conditions covered around 51 percent of Crow Wing County at the beginning of June, but conditions degraded further throughout the month. Severe (D2) drought developed across the area, initially reaching around 52 percent coverage before shrinking to around 35 percent by the end of the month, while moderate drought or greater expanded to cover around 82 percent. The Brainerd Airport recorded 2.84 inches of precipitation, 1.19 inches below average. The cooperative observer at Brainerd recorded 4.74 inches of precipitation, 0.10 inches above 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.