Rice County Under 'Moderate' Drought

RICE COUNTY, MN — Rice County is now under a "moderate drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor. Rice County will need several weeks of soaking rains in order to recover from the drought.

There is some good news in the forecast. There will be chances for showers and thunderstorms Thursday, this weekend, and next week as well.

Here is the full National Weather Service forecast for the Twin Cities metro area:

Thursday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Thursday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.

Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly clear, with a low around 67. Southeast wind around 5 mph.

Saturday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 69. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Sunday: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. South southwest wind around 5 mph.

Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. South southwest wind around 5 mph.

Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly clear, with a low around 71. South wind around 5 mph.

Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.