Drought Information Statement for NE Minnesota & NW Wisconsin Valid October 24, 2024 Issued By: NWS Duluth, MN Contact Information: Next Update: Friday, November 8, 2024 Moderate to Severe Drought conditions have continued to expand across the Northland early this fall. A few rounds of lighter precipitation have not been enough to alleviate the drought. U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D2 (Severe Drought): Arrowhead, Twin Ports, South Shore, parts of inland northwest Wisconsin, and north-central Minnesota. D1 (Moderate Drought): The remainder of inland northwest Wisconsin not in a Severe Drought, parts of east-central Minnesota, and far north-central Minnesota. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Near International Falls, St. Croix River Valley, and far southern Price County Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Inland northwest Wisconsin portions of the Minnesota Arrowhead, far north-central Minnesota, and small portions of Pine and southern Cass counties in Minnesota. No Change: The remainder of the Northland that didn’t see drought worsen. Drought Improved: Not Applicable Precipitation Regional precipitation in the past month has been below to well-below normal. Only north-central MN, the Arrowhead, and portions of the South Shore have seen over 1” of rain since late September. There is a pocket of near-normal precipitation in northern Iron County, WI. Temperature Temperatures have been an average of 4°F to 8°F above normal across the entire Northland over the past month. Temperatures that were observed in the Northland over the last month Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Streamflows are running below to much below normal around the region (USGS Streamflow). Agricultural Impacts Pastures provide very little or no feed. Supplemental feeding is required to maintain livestock conditions. Very low soil moisture Fire Hazard Impacts Fire danger is Moderate to High for north-central into east-central Minnesota (MN Fire Danger). Fire danger is also High for northwest Wisconsin (WI Fire Danger). Other Impacts Increased irrigation of gardens and golf courses. Less water for wildlife. Change in wetlands or swamps. Mitigation Actions Burn Restrictions - Four counties in northeast Minnesota have ‘Elevated Burning Restrictions’, with several counties in east-central Minnesota having either ‘Restricted’ or ‘No Open Burning - Campfires Allowed’ restrictions in place. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Northeast Minnesota - Streams are running much below normal for all basins except far north-central MN. Northwest Wisconsin - Streams are running much below normal for basins on the South Shore and are below to near normal for inland northwest Wisconsin. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture is below normal in the Northland. Fire Hazard Impacts Below to well-below average precipitation and very warm temperatures in late Summer and early Fall are creating persistent elevated fire hazards as shown by the Significant Wildland Fire Potential continuing to be above normal for the remainder of October. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast One tenth to one-quarter of an inch of rainfall is forecast to occur Thursday evening and night, 10/24, as a cold front crosses over the Upper Midwest. An additional cold front is forecast to move through the Northland on Tuesday, 10/29, bringing rain with and behind it Tuesday, 10/29, and Wednesday, 10/30. This additional light to moderate rainfall and perhaps a few thunderstorms could bring an additional one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch of rain to the Northland. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook No rapid onset drought expected. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Longer-term forecasts show equal chances for above or below normal precipitation. Longer-term forecasts show a slight lean (33-40% chance) of above normal temperatures being favored in the month of November. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Most of the Northland is currently experiencing drought, with the drought expected to persist through at least January.