Drought Information Statement for Northeast IA, Southeast MN, & Western, WI Valid April 10, 2025 Issued By: WFO La Crosse, WI Contact Information: w-arx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated Thursday, April 17, 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. Small Improvements in the Dryness & Drought in Parts of the Area Drought intensity and extent Moderate drought (D1) conditions continue in northeast Iowa. Abnormally Dry (D0) and moderate drought (D1) conditions continue in southeast Minnesota, and along the Mississippi River in western Wisconsin. Abnormally dry (D0) conditions continue in northern & western Taylor County in north-central Wisconsin. Recent Change in Drought Intensity During the past week, there has been a 1-category improvement in the abnormally dry (D0) and moderate drought (D1) areas in southeast Minnesota (from Dodge County northeast into Wabasha County) and the abnormally dry (D0) areas in parts of west-central & central Wisconsin (from Buffalo County east into Jackson & Monroe counties). Precipitation The dryness from meteorological autumn continued into meteorological winter. This resulted in 2 to 7" deficits along and west of the Mississippi River. Meteorological spring (began on March 1) has been on the wetter side with precipitation surpluses up to 3.5”. This has resulted in some improvements in the abnormally dry (D0) conditions in central Wisconsin & the abnormally dry (D0) & moderate drought (D1) in parts of southeast Minnesota. Temperature During the first week of April, temperatures ranged from near normal to 8°F colder than normal. During the past 30 days, temperature departures ranged from 1°F to 8°F warmer than normal. Summary of 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 April 8, fire danger was high (fires start easily and spread at a fast rate) across western and southern Wisconsin, moderate (fires start easily and spread at a moderate rate) to high fire danger across northeast Iowa, and moderate fire danger in southeast Minnesota. 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. Meteorological spring (began on March 1) has been on the wetter side with precipitation surpluses up to 3”. This has resulted in some improvements in the dryness across central Wisconsin. This has resulted in some improvements in the abnormally dry (D0) and moderate (D1) drought areas in parts of southeast Minnesota and the abnormally dry (D0) conditions in west-central & central Wisconsin. Elsewhere, there are abnormally (D0) dry and moderate (D1) drought conditions. Fire Hazard Impacts As of the morning of April 8, fire danger was high (fires start easily and spread at a fast rate) across western and southern Wisconsin, moderate (fires start easily and spread at a moderate rate) to high fire danger across northeast Iowa, and moderate fire danger in southeast Minnesota. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast From April 10 through April 17, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) is forecasting up to a half-inch of precipitation. The highest totals are expected from Dodge County (MN) to Taylor (WI) County, and from Clayton (IA) County into Grant (WI) County. Normal precipitation is around 1” for this time period. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook From April 18 through April 24, 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 above-, near-, and below-normal temperatures and precipitation for the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Drought Outlook The drought is expected to improve across parts of southeast Minnesota, much of northeast Iowa, and along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin.