A dry summer isn't necessarily alarming. "Drought is a natural part of our planet - it's going to happen," says Luigi Romolo, a state climatologist working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "What isn't normal is the fact that we've had these three intense droughts three years in a row."
When rain falls, it first fills the dry space in the soil. After that, precipitation is able to work its way toward our lakes and rivers. If the ground is never saturated, bodies of water will continue to see levels drop. Repeated droughts can make recovery very difficult. "After a drought's over it could take up to two or three years for a lake to get back to normal depending on the severity."
For those interested in more information about droughts in our region and around the nation, Romolo recommends the United States Drought Monitor Map or going to the Minnesota DNR website for info and tips on water conservation.
You can hear Green Visions at 8:20am every Wednesday on Northland Morning.