Despite intermittent rain over the last week, Wright County and much of Minnesota remain in Severe Drought conditions according to the latest release from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

A year ago, none of Minnesota was in the category of D2 (Severe Drought), D3 (Extreme Drought) or D4 (Exceptional Drought). This year, 58.74 percent of the state is categorized at D2 or worse, with 36.14 deemed D3 or worse and 5.82 percent at D4 status – the first time since the Drought Monitor began in 1999 that any part of Minnesota was in the D4 category.

To see the progression of the drought throughout the last month-plus, check out the maps on the Wright County MN Facebook page.