Much of the area that drains to the St. Croix River is in drought again, despite a rainy start to the season.

A weather station in Pine City, MN, along the Snake River, shows a year-to-date total of almost 30 inches — with less than an inch in September. Spooner, WI, along the Yellow River, has seen nearly 27 inches of rain this year, but only 0.71 inches in September.

Spooner is 104 percent of normal for the year so far, while Pine City is 113 percent of normal. But September in Spooner was just 24 percent of typical rainfall, and in Pine City, only 20 percent.

With very little rainfall over the past several weeks, there is less water in the river than there has been since March. The USGS gage at St. Croix Falls currently reads 1,940 cubic feet per second — it peaked at over 20,000 in early June.

It all adds up to low, crystal clear water in many places. It can make for tricky navigating of boats.