Drought Information Statement for Northeast IA, Southeast MN, & Western, WI Valid March 20, 2025 Issued By: WFO La Crosse, WI Contact Information: w-arx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated Thursday, March 27, 2024. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/ARX/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. Drought & Dryness Continues Drought intensity and extent... Moderate Drought (D1) conditions continues in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. Abnormally Dry (D0) & Moderate Drought (D1) conditions continue in western Wisconsin. During the past week, there has been no change in the abnormally dry (D0) and moderate (D1) drought areas. Precipitation... 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. Temperature... During the past week (March 9-16) temperatures averaged well-above normal (+10 to +16°F) across the Upper Mississippi River Valley. During the past 30 days, temperature departures ranged from 4°F to 8°F warmer than normal. Summary of Impacts... Hydrologic Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Agricultural Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Fire Hazard Impacts 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. Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions No known actions are taking place in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts... 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). 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. Fire Hazard Impacts... As of the morning of March 20, 2025, 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. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast... From March 20 through March 27, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) is forecasting a tenth to a half-inch south of Interstate 94 and half to three-quarters of an inch elsewhere. Normal precipitation is around 1/2” for this time period. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook... From March 28 through April 3, rapid onset drought (at least a 2-category degradation) is not expected in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and from southwest into central Wisconsin. Long-Range Outlooks... During April, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has equal chances of warmer-, near-, and colder-than-normal for the Upper Mississippi River Valley. The odds are tilted toward wetter-than-normal (33 to 50%). Drought Outlook... The drought is expected to either improve or end by the end of June south of a Charles City, IA to Medford, WI line and persist across the remainder of the area.