Photo by Deb Gau The water level on the Redwood River in Marshall rose with the rain the area received this week, but not enough to be a flood risk. Marshall received over an inch of rain over the past two days, and more showers are forecast today, the NWS said.

MARSHALL — This week, more than an inch of rain brought a pause in the dry weather the Marshall area has been going through. But it still remains to be seen what kind of effect the rain will have on dry conditions in the region.

Marshall received 0.94 inches of rain in the 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m. Thursday, said Matthew Meyers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls. The rain continued to fall on Thursday, and by Thursday afternoon Marshall had received an additional 0.66 inches.

“It’s definitely a nice replenishable amount of rain,” he said.

Rain from Wednesday and Thursday raised the level of the Redwood River in Marshall, but not anywhere close to flood stage. U.S. Geological Survey data showed the river at a stage of 9.41 feet on Thursday evening. Flood stage is 14 feet.

Wednesday and Thursday’s rain brought a little contrast to the weather conditions from one week ago, when the Minnesota DNR had issued a Red Flag warning that covered much of southwest Minnesota. At the time, the DNR said the area was experiencing weather conditions that were “ideal for wildfire,” including strong winds and low humidity.

Earlier this week, the area around Marshall was experiencing abnormally dry conditions, with some areas of Lincoln County, Pipestone County and Yellow Medicine County in moderate drought, according to an April 6 report by the U.S. Drought Monitor. At those stages, soil moisture is low, river and lake levels decrease and fire danger increases.

“The main way to counteract that is through more rain,” Meyers said. But we would need to see next week’s drought monitor update to learn what impact Wednesday and Thursday’s rain had on the region.

Meyers said the region is looking at drier conditions again over the next week.

Rain showers are forecast to continue today in the Marshall area, with between a tenth and a quarter of an inch of new precipitation possible, the National Weather Service said. Conditions will clear up over the weekend, with temperatures getting into the 50s and 60s on Saturday and Sunday.