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Mar 6, 2007 8:09 am US/Central
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Good Question: Is Recent Snow A Drought Buster?
by Ben Tracy
(WCCO)
The deep snow that's coating our lawns right now is already fading. With spring just two weeks away -- winter is about to have a meltdown. The roads are getting slushy and icicles are dripping from our roofs. All that water is needed because most of Minnesota is too dry.
"Unfortunately, the northern part of the state received well less than that," said Greg Spoden, a State Climatologist at the University of Minnesota. He says the brunt of our recent winter wallops hit the central part of the state while it's the northern tier of countries that are the most drought stricken.
"Much of north central and north eastern Minnesota remains under a very extreme drought," said Spoden.
It is unlikely that snow alone could bust the drought. That's because the water content of snow is not high enough. It takes approximately 10 inches of snow to equal 1 inch of rain. This is why winter is actually one of the driest seasons in Minnesota.
In a typical June, we get about 4 inches of water through rain. In a typical February, we get about 1/2 an inch of water through snow. The most severe drought areas in Minnesota have a water deficit of about 6 to 8 inches.
"So, it's the equivalent of missing 6 to 8 major winter storms," said Spoden.
The runoff from our melting wintry mess will help lake and river levels get back in the flow, but won't do much for ground water levels as the soil is frozen. That means we need to hope for some heavy spring rains to help replace our water deficit.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)