UNDATED -- It's been a warm dry start to the month of September.

This week's drought update from the U.S. Drought Monitor says 39 percent of the state is now abnormally dry, which is up from 26 percent last week. All of Stearns and Sherburne and the southern half of Benton counties are included in the dry area.

U.S. Drought Monitor
U.S. Drought Monitor
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Eleven percent of the state is in a Moderate Drought, up from nine percent last week.

And, two percent is in a Severe Drought, up from one percent a week ago. The driest area remains in the southern Twin Cities metro area.

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Here in St. Cloud, so far this month we've had .87 of an inch of rain, which is .66 of an inch below normal.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

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