How Big Is The Greenwood Fire In Northern Minnesota? It’s Bigger Than Burnsville

When people hear about the wildfires raging up in Northern Minnesota it's hard to put a figure like acres burning into a relatable size comparison. As of this morning, 19,000 acres were affected by the fire which is roughly 29.7 square miles, or larger than Burnsville that has been burned up in the fire so far, and it doesn't look like it might stop anytime soon.

For comparison, Burnsville is according to Google is 26.87 square miles, Shakopee is 29.74 square miles, Mankato is only 19.4 square miles.

According to the latest update this morning from the Incident Information website:

Upper level high pressure brought warmer and drier conditions to the region Monday. Southerly winds increased quickly early in the morning as a frontal boundary moved off to the east. Winds then became southwest through the rest of the morning, then more westerly during the day. Wind gusts ranged from 20 to 25 mph, with occasional gusts up to near 30 mph. The strong mixing combined with temperatures climbing into the lower 80s resulted in afternoon humilities dropping down into the lower 30s for a few hours during the afternoon. A pyrocumulus developed in the afternoon resulting in rapid fire spread and lightning. A weather disturbance will move across the north central United States on Tuesday, and will bring a decent chance for wetting rains (0.1 or greater) to the region. Temperatures will also be cooler and humidity much higher. High pressure rebuilds into the area for Wednesday, resulting in a breezy northwest wind and lower daytime humidity.

The fire still hasn't been brought under control, and based on the weather report above it seems to read like the fire is expected to grow going into Wednesday. You can stay up to date on the fire here.