Drought Information Statement for 
SE SD, SW MN, NW IA, Far NE Neb 
Valid March 20, 2025
Issued By: WFO Sioux Falls, SD
Contact Information: w-fsd.webmaster@noaa.gov
This product will be updated by the end of April 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/fsd/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.
WIDESPREAD MODERATE (D1) TO SEVERE (D2) DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION INTO NEW GROWING SEASON


MEDIUM AND LONG RANGE OUTLOOKS FAVOR DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSISTING
1

U.S. Drought Monitor
Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for SE South Dakota, SW Minnesota, NW Iowa, far NE Nebraska
…WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION…

Drought Intensity and Extent

D2 (Severe Drought): Southern South Dakota and adjacent portions of northwest Iowa and northeast Nebraska

D1 (Moderate Drought): Remaining portions of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota and northeast Nebraska

Precipitation - Past 30 Days
Beneficial moisture has fallen over portions of southeast SD and northwest IA over the past 30 days while remaining drier than normal across central and northern SD.

Precipitation deficits over the entire water year (since October 1st) still reflect fairly significant deficits.

    Water Year Precip
          (October 1st-March 19th)

Sioux Falls: 4.91” (-1.62”)
Mitchell: 2.40” (-2.01”)
Sioux City: 6.28” (-0.51”)
Huron: 2.96” (-2.31”)

Summary of Impacts.
Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter
Hydrologic Impacts 
River and stream levels remain at or below normal, just coming out of winter freeze-up.

Agricultural Impacts
There are no reported impacts at this time

Fire Hazard Impacts
There are no reported impacts at this time

Other Impacts
There are no reported impacts at this time

Mitigation Actions
None reported 

Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts
Several area streams across eastern SD into southwest MN and northwest IA continue to run below normal.


Medium and Long-Range Outlooks
The latest medium range and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Temperature
Precipitation
Outlooks through the end of March slightly favor above normal temperatures with no clear signal for precipitation trends. 
Medium Range Outlook
Outlooks through through the end of June show no clear signal in precipitation or temperature trends with a transition of ENSO from a weak La Nina phase toward Neutral phase. 
Seasonal Outlook
Outlooks for the month of April show no clear signal in precipitation or temperature trends. 
Monthly Outlook

Drought Outlook.
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Widespread drought conditions continue across the region as we enter a new growing season. 

Precipitation outlooks through the spring do not favor any significant improvement in drought conditions and thus drought is expected to persist. 

As the upcoming planting and growing season commences, additional Drought Information Statements will be published with additional details. The latest drought-related information can be found at: weather.gov/fsd/drought
The drought monitor is a multi-agency effort involving NOAA’s National Weather Service and National Climatic Data Center, the USDA, state and regional center climatologists and the National Drought Mitigation Center. Information for this statement has been gathered from NWS and FAA observation sites, cooperative and volunteer observations, USDAFS, the USDA and USGS.
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