La Crosse, WI

Weather Forecast Office

No Changes in the Drought

Summary
River and Stream Flow
Fire Hazards
Precip & Temp Outlooks
Questions?

No Changes in the Drought

Updated on Thursday, March 20, 2024
Next Scheduled Update: Thursday, March 27, 2024

Summary:

The dryness from meteorological autumn continued into meteorological winter. This resulted in 2 to 7" deficits along and west of the Mississippi River. While March has been on the wetter side (precipitation anomalies from near normal to 2" wetter than normal), the amounts have not been enough to alleviate the deficits that grew during these 2 seasons. As a result, abnormally dry (D0) to moderate (D1) drought continue across much of the La Crosse Hydrologic Service Area (HSA).

Note: The impacts of any precipitation that fell after 7 AM Tuesday, March 18 will be evaluated next week.

U.S. Drought Monitor Summary:

In the March 18 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, it ranged from no drought to severe (D2) drought in Iowa and Minnesota, and from no drought to moderate (D1) drought in northern Illinois and Wisconsin.

Note: The data cutoff for Drought Monitor maps is Tuesday at 7 a.m. Central Daylight Time.

State Drought Statistics


Iowa	Minnesota	Wisconsin

Local Area Affected:

Moderate (D1) Drought in all or parts of:

Northeast Iowa: Allamakee, Clayton, Chickasaw, Fayette, Floyd, Howard, Mitchell, and Winneshiek counties.
Southeast Minnesota: Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, and Winona counties.

Abnormally Dry (D0) to Moderate (D1) Drought in all or parts of:

Southeast Minnesota: Dodge and Wabasha counties.
Western Wisconsin: Buffalo, Crawford, Grant, La Crosse, Richland, Taylor, Trempealeau, and Vernon counties.

Abnormally Dry (D0) in all or parts of:

Western Wisconsin: Adams, Clark, Jackson, Juneau, and Monroe counties.

State/Local Government Actions:

No known actions are taking place in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and western Wisconsin.

Climatological Summary:

From September 1 through November 30 (meteorological autumn), precipitation totals ranged from 3.58" near Oelwein, IA to 11.16" near Hillsboro, WI. Precipitation anomalies ranged from 4" drier than normal to 1" wetter than normal. During this same time period, temperatures anomalies ranged from 3 to 5°F warmer than normal.

This dryness continued into meteorological winter. From December through February, precipitation totals ranged from 1.21" near Osage, IA to 3.73" near Westby, WI. Precipitation anomalies ranged from near normal to 3" drier than normal.

While March has been on the wetter side (precipitation anomalies from near normal to 2" wetter than normal), the amounts have not been enough to alleviate the deficits from meteorological autumn and winter (2 to 7" along and west of the Mississippi River).

Precipitation Departures from September 1, 2024 through March 20, 2025.

This extended period of dryness has resulted in abnormally dry (D0) to moderate (D1) drought across much of the La Crosse Hydrologic Service Area (HSA).

The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly collaborative effort between several federal agencies including NOAA/NWS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center. Details and explanations of the Drought Monitor can be found at:

U.S. Drought Monitor

The categories of drought are defined as follows:

Abnormally Dry (D0) - Going into drought: short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops or pastures; fire risk above average. Coming out of drought: some lingering water deficits; pastures or crops not fully recovered.

Moderate Drought (D1) - Some damage to crops and pastures; fire risk high; streams, reservoirs, or wells low, some water shortages developing or imminent, voluntary water use restrictions requested.

Severe Drought (D2) - Crop or pasture losses likely; fire risk very high; water shortages common; water restrictions imposed.

Extreme Drought (D3) - Major crop/pasture losses; extreme fire danger; widespread water shortages or restrictions.

Exceptional Drought (D4) - Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; exceptional fire risk; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells, creating water emergencies.

Potential Evapotranspiration Rates:

Iowa

Disaster & Drought Assistance:

Other Drought Web Sites:

Minnesota DNR
ReadyWisconsin (Part of the Wisconsin Emergency Management Team)

Drought Plans:

River and Stream Flow Conditions:

As of the morning of March 20, rivers and stream flows were below to near normal in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota, and near normal from southwest into central Wisconsin.

NOTE: This is time-sensitive and conditions could change. Updated river and streamflow conditions can be found via links to the right.

Hourly and forecast river stages out to 90 days can be found at:

NWS Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS)

Additional Current stream and river stages may be viewed at:

USGS WaterWatch

An interactive table of sites that are at or near record flows can be found at:

USGS WaterWatch

Fire Danger Hazards:

As of the morning of March 20, fire danger was low (fires are not easily started) to high (fires start easily and spread at a fast rate) across northeast Iowa, moderate (fires start easily and spread at a moderate rate) across southeast Minnesota and Taylor County in north-central Wisconsin, and low elsewhere in southwest and central Wisconsin.

NOTE: This is time-sensitive and conditions could change from day to day. Fire conditions can change drastically on drier, windy days. Updated DNR fire conditions can be found via links to the right.

Citizens should always check with local officials in their area before undertaking any outside burning. Citizens are liable for damages and suppression costs of any wildfire they may start.

Description of Fire Danger Ratings

For updated DNR Fire Conditions consult the following Web Sites:

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is a drought index that is specifically related to fire potential. The KDBI is broken into four categories which indicate the susceptibility of ground fuels to fire danger. Below are the four categories and a brief description of each.

Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KDBI)
KBDI Value	Description of Fire Potential
0 to 200	Low - Wet with little danger of fire initiation
201 to 400	Moderate - Drying occurring with some fire danger
401 to 600	High - Ground cover is dry and will burn readily
601 to 800	Extreme - Dead and live fuels will burn readily

KBDI and Dead Fuel Moisture data can be found through the:

Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS)

Burn Bans:

Iowa

Precipitation/Temperature Outlooks:

From March 20 through March 27, temperatures will average near normal, and precipitation will average above normal. During this time frame, daily average temperatures range from 34 to 39°F, and precipitation averages around a half inch.

From March 28 through April 3 (8-14 day outlook), the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has the odds tiltled toward below normal temperatures (33-50%) and above-normal precipitation (33-50%). The normal daily average temperatures for this period range from 37 to 42°F and the normal precipitation averages between 6 and 7 tenths of an inch.

During April, CPC has equal chances of above-, near-, and below-normal temperatures and enhanced chances of above-normal precipitation (33-50% - highest chances in southern Wisconsin) in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Normally, April temperatures range from 35 to 40°F north of Interstate 94 and from 45 to 50°F elsewhere. Precipitation ranges from 2.5 to 3" north of Interstate 94 and from 3 to 4" elsewhere.

From April through June, CPC has equal chances of above-, near-, and below-normal temperatures and precipitation in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Seasonal temperatures range from 50 to 55°F north of Wisconsin 29 and from 55 to 60°F elsewhere. Seasonal precipitation ranges from 11 to 13" north of Interstate 94 and from 13 to 16" across the remainder of the area.

Below are the seasonal outlooks for the next year.