GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Mother Nature brought some much-needed rain to the Twin Cities metro area on Saturday - with more to come this weekend - but it still won't fix the severe drought conditions that have persisted for the last several weeks.
Entering Saturday, the daily almanac for Minneapolis-St. Paul showed 14.91 inches of total precipitation so far this year, about five inches behind the normal average.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of the Twin Cities metro area falls under the "severe drought" category, except for a small slice of eastern Washington County. Every county in the state is under some form of drought, including nearly 80% in moderate drought, more than 33% in severe drought, and almost 3% in extreme drought.
Need evidence? Just drive to your local golf course.
At Brookview in Golden Valley, golfers universally praised the course for keeping the fairways and greens maintained amid the drought. Staff members say they put in a new irrigation system last year and that it is still working like a charm.
Inevitably, though, there were some dry spots, particularly on the driving range.
"You know, it probably looks a little more dead than usual, I would say," said John Culviner. "But it's pretty well-watered, I think... I'm sure their water bill is immense!"
David Balboni, a member of the Twin Cities Singles Golf Association, plays at a different course each weekend and said most have been able to handle the drought with their irrigation systems.
"We played at Cannon Falls last week, and it was very good," Balboni said. "I think a lot of courses are going to do what the British courses did, using less water and maintaining the dry grass to conserve the water, which is good. But of all the courses we've played, they've been lush and green, I'd say."
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