Dry.  We've had 0.09" rain in the first half of May. Years of late-summer drought are taking their toll.  Some old jack pines are being stripped of their bark by woodpeckers, indicating a beetle infestation.  About half of the pines that were in our yard 10 years ago are dead or dying.  Swamp is dry, as are other wetlands in the immediate area. Fire danger is extreme, red flag or "near-critical" warnings all week, no open burning. Watch Duty map shows the NE 1/3 of the state lit up. Fortunately, crews are aggressively jumping on new fires, and they have kept them small. Dust blizzards to our west, with some spots in the Red River Valley down to 1/4 mi. visibility mid-week. We've also had high winds nearly every day. Shallow wells are coughing.