Many trees and bushes already are turning color and dropping leaves in parts of northern Minnesota, but officials are thinking about drought and fire danger rather than a beautiful fall palette.
Forest fire officials are urging extreme caution after below-normal rainfall for nearly four months has put all of northern Minnesota in an official drought, according to the National Drought Monitor. The drought in several counties is rated extreme.
Duluth, for example, has received nearly 5 inches less rain this year than normal. The city is already nearly an inch short of rain for September after falling behind more than 3 inches in August.
Areas north and west of Duluth are even drier, with much of the region 10 inches short for the year. Some areas are nearly 12 inches behind normal.
The drought is considered the worst in at least 18 years and, in some areas, it's the driest summer since 1976. Officials say the early fall color and leaf dropping are signs of drought stress that could kill some trees altogether.
Fire officials are urging hunters, campers and landowners to be careful in the tinder-dry woods. With little rainfall in the forecast, officials say fire danger will grow after grasses and bushes are hit by frost and dry out even more.
Firefighters have battled several blazes this week, including a 70-acre fire near Eveleth and a 120-acre fire near Baudette. The Minnesota Interagency Fire Center said more than 100 people fought those fires Thursday, and state fire crews are on high alert across the region.
Stream flows and lake levels continue to drop across much of northern Minnesota, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is restricting burning permits to one day only.Associated Press via Minneapolis Star Tribune
