MARSHALL — It’s been an “abnormally dry” summer and fall for the Marshall area, National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Chapman said. Marshall has only received 5.17 inches of precipitation since July 1.

“It seems like we’ve missed the widespread rainfall that we’d normally get,” Chapman said.

This year, the Marshall area has also seen one of its longest stretches on record of days with high temperatures above 70 degrees. Marshall had 93 days in a row with temperatures above 70 degrees, which is the fourth longest streak on record. Chapman said the all-time record was 103 days, which was recorded two years ago.

The Marshall area has had drier-than-normal weather over the past three months, Chapman said. Marshall received 1.79 inches of precipitation in July, compared to its average July precipitation of 3.78 inches, Chapman said. In August, Marshall received 2.24 inches of precipitation, compared to an average of 3.61 inches. In September, Marshall got 1.08 inches of precipitation, compared to the average of 3.06 inches.

So far, Marshall has received 0.06 inches of precipitation this month, Chapman said.

Another way the lack of rain has showed is through the drought conditions in the area. At the end of July, the Marshall area was only in the “abnormally dry” category of drought intensity, Chapman said. Current drought maps show that parts of Lyon, Redwood, Murray, Pipestone and Lincoln counties are now in extreme drought.

“That reflects that there’s been so little precipitation,” especially over the past five or six weeks, Chapman said.

It looks like the dry spell may continue, at least in the short term. Chapman said it doesn’t look like there will be significant rain events in the Marshall area in the next couple of weeks. However, there might be more hope of precipitation in the next couple of months.

According to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, Minnesota has equal chances of either getting above-normal or below-normal precipitation through the end of the year. The temperature outlook for October through December also shows Minnesota having equal chances of either warmer or cooler weather than normal.

The same outlook maps show that there are chances of drier than normal weather across the southern U.S. in the next three months, as well as chances of warmer than normal temperatures through much of the country.