Drought in Northern Aitkin, Minnesota

The month began with D2 Severe Drought for areas east of the Mississippi River in northern Aitkin County with the remainder of the county being in D1 Moderate Drought. Throughout the month the northern part of the county received precipitation of 1.5 to 3.0 inches above the normal. This led to the removal of D2 Severe Drought with the update on the 21st leaving a mix of D0 Abnormally Dry and D1 Moderate Drought across the area.

December brought an onslaught of wintry systems bringing much needed moisture throughout the region. Several records were broken for precipitation during the middle and end of the month. The whole region saw above normal precipitation with the exception of northwestern Koochiching County. The abundance of precipitation lead to a large improvement in the drought status for the region. By the end of the month, no part of the region remained in D3 Extreme Drought. The Arrowhead still remains in D2 Severe Drought as well as most of Koochiching and northern Itasca counties.