Drought in Minnesota, September 5 to 30, 2006

Name: Drought in Minnesota, September 5 to 30, 2006
Start: 2006-09-05T00:00
End: 2006-09-30T23:59
Location: Minnesota

September 5 to 30, 2006 · NWS DLH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

The area was in a moderate drought all summer, but lack of rain put it in the D2 (severe drought) level by early September. S.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS DLH wrote it up.

The area was in a moderate drought all summer, but lack of rain put it in the D2 (severe drought) level by early September. By September 19th the area was put in the D3 (extreme drought) category by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Many rivers were running at 10 percent or less of the normal stream flow. The following rivers were at record low flow: Basswood River near Winton, Pigeon River near Grand Portage, Kawishiwi River near Ely and the Knife River near Two harbors.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 4, 2:05 PM CST, 9 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 4, 2:05 PM CST, 9 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
305 PM CDT MON SEP 4 2006

.DISCUSSION...THE UPPER LOW WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTHEAST TONIGHT
INTO TUESDAY...WITH HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE.

ANOTHER COOL NIGHT IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTHLAND...UNDER CLEAR
TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. AREAS OF FOG WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE...AS
ITS BEEN FOR THE PAST COUPLE NIGHTS. THERE IS STILL A SMALL
CHANCE FOR SOME EARLY EVENING SHOWERS OR A THUNDERSTORM OVER PARTS
OF OUR SOUTHERN WI ZONES. AREA RADARS SHOW A COUPLE CELLS SOUTH OF
OUR CWA.

A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL AFFECT MAINLY THE ARROWHEAD TUESDAY
NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE APPEARS TO
BE TO LIGHT TO GENERATE MUCH PRECIP...AND WILL GO WITH A DRY
FORECAST UNTIL THURSDAY.

AN UPPER TROUGH WILL SWING DOWN FROM THE NORTH...AND DRIVE A MORE
SIGNIFICANT COLD FRONT SOUTH THROUGH MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN
THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. A COLD HIGH WILL DEVELOP BEHIND THIS
FRONT...WITH GFS FORECASTING 850MB TEMPERATURES AROUND ZERO OVER
NORTHERN LAKE SUPERIOR...AND 4-8C ACROSS OUR CWA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE UPPER TROUGH
AND COLD FRONT...STARTING THURSDAY...AND LASTING INTO FRIDAY NIGHT.

THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE FOR SOME FROST FRIDAY NIGHT...THROUGH
SUNDAY NIGHT. THE BETTER CHANCES WILL BE ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
NIGHTS...AS THERE MAY STILL BE TO MUCH CLOUD COVER AND WIND FRIDAY
NIGHT FOR WIDESPREAD FROST.

&&

.POINT FORECAST TEMPS/POPS...
DLH  49  78  48  75 /  10  10  10  10
INL  39  79  46  77 /   0  10  10  10
BRD  48  80  48  78 /  10  10  10  10
HYR  44  80  44  78 /  10  10  10  10
ASX  45  81  48  77 /  10  10  10  10

&&

.DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

MN...NONE.
WI...NONE.
LS...NONE.

MELDE

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 4, 8:12 PM CST, 3 hours 48 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
912 PM CDT MON SEP 4 2006

LSZ121-140>148-162-MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-
006>009-051230-
BAYFIELD TO OAK POINT WI-GRAND PORTAGE TO GRAND MARAIS MN-
GRAND MARAIS TO TACONITE HARBOR MN-
TACONITE HARBOR TO SILVER BAY HARBOR MN-
SILVER BAY HARBOR TO TWO HARBORS MN-TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN-
DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND WI-
SAND ISLAND TO BAYFIELD WI-OAK POINT TO SAXON HARBOR WI-
OPEN WATERS OF LAKE SUPERIOR WEST OF A LINE FROM SAXON HARBOR WI
TO GRAND PORTAGE MN-KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS-
NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE-NORTHERN ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-
SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE-SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE-NORTHERN CASS-
SOUTHERN ITASCA-SOUTHERN CASS-CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-
SOUTHERN AITKIN-CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST. LOUIS-PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-
ASHLAND-IRON-BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE-
912 PM CDT MON SEP 4 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA...
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN AND WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FOUND ACROSS THE AREA FROM
WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...AND AGAIN FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON
INTO MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT.

GSF

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Southern Cook

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Southern Cook forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.817, -90.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Central St. Louis

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Central St. Louis forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.590, -92.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern Cook / Northern Lake

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Northern Cook / Northern Lake forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.670, -90.975 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northern St. Louis

When: September 5, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Northern St. Louis forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 47.590, -92.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, September 2006

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5534059, 5534060, 5534924, 5534925.