Small Improvements in the Drought in Parts of the AreaUpdated on Thursday, April 17, 2024 |
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Meteorological spring (began on March 1) has been on the wetter side with precipitation surpluses up to 2". This has resulted in some improvements in the drought in southeast Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin. Elsewhere, there are abnormally (D0) dry and moderate (D1) drought conditions in northeast Iowa, along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, and in Taylor County in north-central Wisconsin. Note: The impacts of any precipitation that fell after 7 AM Tuesday, April 15 will be evaluated next week. U.S. Drought Monitor Summary: In the April 15 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, it ranged from no drought to severe (D2) drought in Minnesota, and from no drought to moderate (D1) drought in northern Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Note: The data cutoff for Drought Monitor maps is Tuesday at 7 a.m. Central Daylight Time.
Moderate (D1) Drought in all or parts of:
Abnormally Dry (D0) to Moderate (D1) Drought in all or parts of:
Abnormally Dry (D0) in all or parts of:
No known actions are taking place in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. Climatological Summary:
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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: The categories of drought are defined as follows: 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. Disaster & Drought Assistance:
Other Drought Web Sites:
Drought Plans:
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As of the morning of April 15, rivers and stream flows were near to below normal in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and 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: Additional Current stream and river stages may be viewed at: An interactive table of sites that are at or near record flows can be found at: |
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Here are the latest Agricultural Statistics Service reports for Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin issued on April 14, 2025. Iowa Dry conditions helped Iowa farmers as days suitable for fieldwork increased to 5.9 for the week. Fieldwork included tillage, seeding oats, and applying anhydrous, manure and dry fertilizer. There were also reports of corn and soybeans being planted.
Oats seeding reached 47 percent complete, 3 days behind last year but 3 days ahead of the 5-year average. Six percent of the expected oat acreage has emerged, 5 days behind last year but equal to the average. No livestock issues were reported. Minnesota Minnesota farmers averaged 2.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week. Field activities were similar to last week, including fertilizer and manure applications, tillage, and small grain planting. Livestock were doing well with calving and lambing continuing.
Farmers began planting corn at 1 percent, a couple of days behind last year but the same as the 5-year average. Oats planted reached 9 percent and spring wheat planting started at 1 percent. Potatoes planted were at 1 percent. Wisconsin Wisconsin had 3.3 days suitable for fieldwork statewide for the week. Northern Wisconsin still had some frost in the ground and in areas topsoil was too wet for fieldwork. Conditions in central and southern areas of the state allowed for spring tillage and early planting of some crops to begin. Manure and fertilizer were being applied as conditions allowed.
Oat planting was 7 percent complete, 2 days behind last year and 3 days behind the 5-year average. Potato planting started in some areas and was 2 percent complete. Spring tillage was 8 percent complete, 3 days behind last year and 2 days behind the average. Pasture and range condition was rated 12 percent very poor, 24 percent poor, 40 percent fair, 22 percent good and 2 percent excellent. Winter wheat condition was rated 1 percent very poor, 7 percent poor, 46 percent fair, 42 percent good and 4 percent excellent.
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Soil moisture supply measures how much moisture is present in cropland topsoil during the week. Soil moisture is reported as a percentage. The categories very short, short, adequate, and surplus must add up to 100%.
Additional information on agriculture impacts may be viewed from the: |
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As of the morning of April 15, fire danger was high (fires start easily and spread at a fast rate) to very high (fires start easily and spread at a very fast rate) across northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and from southwest into 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.
KBDI and Dead Fuel Moisture data can be found through the: Burn Bans: |
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From April 17 through April 22, temperatures will average near normal, and precipitation will average above normal. During this time frame, daily average temperatures range from 46 to 51°F, and precipitation averages around 8-tenths of an inch. From April 23 through April 29 (8-14 day outlook), the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has the odds tiltled toward above-normal temperatures (40-50%) and precipitation (40-50%). The normal daily average temperatures for this period range from 49 to 54°F and the normal precipitation is around 9 tenths of an inch. For May, CPC has equal chances of above, near, and below normal temperatures and precipitation. The normal daily average temperatures for this period range from around 50 to 55°F and the normal precipitation ranges from 3.5 to 4" north of Interstate 94 and from 4 to 5.25". For meteorological summer (June 1 through August 31), CPC has the odds tilted slightly toward warmer-than-normal temperatures (33-40%) and below-normal precipitation (33-50% - highest west of the Mississippi River) in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Seasonal temperatures range from 65 to 75°F (highest along the Mississippi River and in northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. Seasonal precipitation ranges from 12 to 13" north of Interstate 94 and from 13 to 15" across the remainder of the area. Below are the seasonal outlooks for the next year.
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For updated temperature and precipitation probabilities consult the following Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Web Sites:
NCEP's CFSv2 (Coupled Forecast System Model Version 2): |
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If you have any questions or comments about this drought information please contact the NWS La Crosse at: E-mail: nws.lacrosse@noaa.gov |
Other Contacts: State climate impacts: |
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