Drought Information Statement for Northeast IA, Southeast MN, & Western, WI Valid April 25, 2024 Issued By: WFO La Crosse, WI Contact Information: This product will be updated April 25, 2024 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. 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. There was generally a 1-category improvement in the drought during the past week. Drought intensity and Extent... D0: (Abnormally Dry) to D3 (Extreme Drought): Northeast Iowa D0: (Abnormally Dry) to D1 (Moderate Drought): Southeast Minnesota and between Interstates 90 & 94 in Wisconsin. Recent Change in Drought Intensity... There was up a 1-catewgory improvement in the drought for much of the NWS La Crosse, WI Hydrologic Service Area (HSA) during the past week. Precipitation... From April 16 through April 23, rainfall totals ranged from 0.71" near Rochester, MN to 3.20" near Postville, IA. Normally, around 0.91" of precipitation falls during this period. This rainfall caused some improvement in the drought. Temperature... During the past month (March 26 through April 24), temperatures ranged from 2°F colder than normal to 2°F warmer than normal. The coolest temperature anomalies were near Interstate 90. Summary of Impacts... Hydrologic Impacts - As of the morning of April 23, rivers and stream flows ranged from much below to normal in northeast Iowa, and below to normal in southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Agricultural Impacts - There are no known impacts at this time. Fire Hazard Impacts - As of the morning of April 23, fire danger was very high north of Interstate 90 in western Wisconsin. Fire danger was high in southeast Minnesota. Fire danger was moderate in southwest Wisconsin. Finally, there was low fire danger in northeast Iowa. Other Impacts - There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions - There is a Drought Watch for Region 3 in northeast Iowa. For more information, see the Iowa Drought Plan. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts... From April 16 through April 23, rainfall totals ranged from 0.71" near Rochester, MN to 3.20" near Postville, IA. Normally, around 0.91" of precipitation falls during this period. This rainfall caused some improvement in the drought. From April 1, 2023, through April 23, 2024 (long-term dryness), precipitation departures range from 8.51" to 20.21" below normal south of Interstate 90. As of the morning of April 23, rivers and stream flows ranged from much below to normal in northeast Iowa, and below to normal in southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Agricultural Impacts... Soil moisture remains below normal along and south of Interstate 90 in northeast Iowa and parts of southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin. Fire Hazard Impacts... As of the morning of April 23, fire danger was very high (fires start easily and spread at a very high rate) north of Interstate 90 in western Wisconsin. Fire danger was high (fires start easily and spread at a high rate) in southeast Minnesota. Fire danger was moderate (fires start easily and spread at a moderate rate) in southwest Wisconsin. Finally, there was low (fires start easily and spread at a low rate) fire danger in northeast Iowa. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast... From April 25 through May 2, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) is forecasting 1.5 to 5 inches across the area. The highest totals are along and south of Interstate 94. Normal precipitation is around a 0.9 inches for this time period. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook... Through May 2, rapid onset drought (at least a 2-category degradation) is not expected. Long-Range Outlooks... From May through July, there is enhanced chances for warmer-than-normal temperatures. Meanwhile, there are equal chances of wetter-, near-, and drier-than- normal. Drought Outlook... The latest monthly and seasonal drought outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage According to the latest U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook (April 18 through July 31), the drought is expected to improve along and south of Interstate 90.