Drought Information Statement for Eastern IA, Northwest IL & Northeast MO Valid January 26, 2024 Issued By: WFO Quad Cities IA/IL Contact Information: nws.quadcities@noaa.gov This product will be updated February 9, 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/DVN/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Extreme Drought Conditions remain at same level in the DVN County Warning Area (CWA) Drought intensity and Extent Widespread improvements have occurred over the past week. D4 (Exceptional Drought): Now is entirely absent from the DVN CWA. D3 (Extreme Drought): Now covers 15.6% of the DVN CWA. Most of this is within eastern Iowa. D2 (Severe Drought): Now covers 32.9% of the DVN CWA, again with the majority being in eastern Iowa. D1 (Moderate Drought): Now covers over 47.5% of the DVN CWA. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Link to the latest 4-week change map for Midwest Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Only in the bootheel of Missouri No Change: Large swaths throughout the region have seen little to no change, including a bulk of the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Drought Improved: In a number of places scattered across the Midwest, including southern Illinois, southeast Kentucky, along the Mississippi River from the Quad Cities to Cape Girardeau, MO, and northwest Missouri to far eastern Iowa. Precipitation Most of the DVN CWA saw average to above average precipitation in the previous week, except in northeast Iowa. Outside of the DVN CWA rainfall amounts were also well below average in most of the area to our north and well above average in most of the area to our south. Temperature Average temperatures ranged between 5-15 degrees. This is below normal. Regionally, temperatures were generally below normal in the Upper Midwest except for parts of northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Summary of Impacts Link Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts Streamflows remain near to above normal across most basins, except in eastern Iowa. Agricultural Impacts Anomalously dry soils remain particularly across eastern Iowa, but we are seeing increasing amounts of available water in the upper soil zones. Other Impacts Rainfall is forecast next week, in increasing amounts as you head west in the DVN CWA. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Many river levels have returned to lower flows over the past 2 weeks in the DVN Hydrologic Service Area (HSA). Streamflows are running below to much below normal in many basins in Iowa. Despite the low levels, the Mississippi River still remains navigable at this time. Agricultural Impacts Locally, we are observing well below normal soil moisture conditions. The driest soils can be seen throughout eastern Iowa and Missouri. Much of the local area, along with areas directly north, are seeing near normal available crop moisture. This change can partially be attributed to the end of the traditional growing season. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Through the next 7 days, we are expecting to see 0.5 to 0.75 inches of precipitation with varying local amounts possible. Most of this precipitation is expected to fall as liquid precipitation, due to unseasonably warm temperatures. If these precipitation totals occur, it is possible that we could see drought remain status quo or slight improvements over the next 2 weeks. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Above normal chances for warmer than normal temperatures are favored for February for much of the northern and western parts of the country. Equal chances for above or below normal precipitation amounts is possible for February in central Iowa and Minnesota, while eastern Iowa, eastern Wisconsin, Illinois are likely to see below average precipitation. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought will persist across the DVN CWA. Where drought conditions exist, the impacts will persist through the end of April. Updates once a month, so include in 1st update of the calendar month.