The Twin Cities has had consistent rainfall during the summer of 2025, with many of the storms being torrential. Research shows that this is part of a new weather pattern created by climate change, and now we’re approaching the time of year when we can go for long stretches without significant rain. But you have options to help maintain your lawn during these extreme conditions.
Weather Extremes – More Rain & More Drought
The University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership predicts that as climate change continues, “we expect more frequent and intense heavy rain events, with long dry periods in between.” They go on to say that “the length of consecutive dry days (CDD) is projected to increase more in the Midwest than in any region in the United States, up to 25% by 2100. This means that if we historically expected a dry period to last 8 days, we might expect it to last 10 days in the end of this century. We also expect a decrease in overall summer precipitation and a decrease in light rain events, but an increase in moderate and heavy rain events.
Turf Options
This is the time when our yards are getting a combination of the most intense sunlight and extreme heat of the season. Many grasses will reach their wilting point and will go dormant under these conditions. Luckily, grasses won’t start to die until they have 40 days of no moisture. But there are many varieties of grasses that can tolerate these environments better, leaving you with a green lawn even during drought.
The University of Minnesota Extension Service recommends tall fescue and fine fescue for Minnesota lawns. They state that “these grasses can remain green for at least 28 days without water. Tall fescue is especially known for its heat and drought tolerance.
“Among the fine fescues, hard fescues have excellent drought tolerance. Chewings fescue and slender creeping red fescue have good to excellent drought tolerance. And strong creeping red fescues have good drought tolerance.”
Contact the experts at Organic Lawns by LUNSETH to learn how to convert your turf to a drought tolerant lawn.
