Drought Information Statement for 
SE SD, SW MN, NW IA, Far NE Neb 
Valid October 10, 2024
Issued By: WFO Sioux Falls, SD
Contact Information: w-fsd.webmaster@noaa.gov
This product will be updated November 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/fsd/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.
WELL BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION SINCE JUNE FLOODING BRINGS RETURN OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS TO REGION. 

WIDESPREAD ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS OR MODERATE DROUGHT WITH AREAS OF SEVERE DROUGHT.

DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PERSIST INTO AT LEAST MID TO LATE OCT.
1

U.S. Drought Monitor.
…SEVERAL MONTHS OF WELL BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION BRINGS A RETURN OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS TO THE REGION…

Drought intensity and Extent
D2 (Severe Drought): Portions of southeast South Dakota, southwest Minnesota and northeast Nebraska.
D1 (Moderate Drought): Much of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota and northeast Nebraska.
D0: (Abnormally Dry): Central South Dakota.

Precipitation - Past 90 Days.
Since the historic June flooding, well below normal precipitation has occurred in most locations. (Top 10 driest 90 day period in some areas)

Precipitation deficits over the past 90 days of as much as 4-8 inches 

    Jul-Sep Precip

Sioux Falls - 3.40” (3rd Driest)
Spencer, IA - 5.44” (8th Driest)
Mitchell - 3.76” (12th Driest)
Vermillion - 4.29” (6th Driest)
Pipestone - 4.44” (5th Driest)
Sioux City - 10.03”

90-Day Precipitation Accumulation 
90-Day Precip Departure From Normal 

Summary of Impacts.
Hydrologic Impacts 
River and stream levels have been on decline through the second half of summer into the fall, although most still remain in “normal” ranges. Below normal streamflow has been noted through portions of the Vermillion, Big Sioux and Rock River Basins. Ground water levels at Renner, SD have fallen back to within a tenth of a foot of 2023 values at this same time. 

Agricultural Impacts
There are no known impacts at this time

Fire Hazard Impacts
Several counties and municipalities have implemented burn bans due to the dry conditions. A handful of Red Flag Warnings have already been issued this fall for critical fire weather conditions. 

Other Impacts
There are no known impacts at this time

Mitigation Actions
None reported 

Be sure to site sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SarZYdpiOvrbIokT6sWfuYYRDGZ-V-qP5OAEPBKIyj4/edit#bookmark=kix.5xuyqyeeqa2d

Agricultural and Soil Moisture Impacts
SD
As of Oct 6th
Very Short Moisture
Short Moisture
Adequate Moisture
Moisture Surplus
Topsoil
29%
42%
29%
0%
Subsoil
25%
36%
39%
0%
IA
As of Oct 6th
Very Short Moisture
Short Moisture
Adequate Moisture
Moisture Surplus
Topsoil
22%
42%
36%
0%
Subsoil
16%
44%
39%
1%
MN
As of Oct 6th
Very Short Moisture
Short Moisture
Adequate Moisture
Moisture Surplus
Topsoil
17%
40%
42%
1%
Subsoil
12%
28%
58%
2%
USDA Crop Progress and Condition Reports
South Dakota
Minnesota
Iowa
Nebraska

Drought Outlook.
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Dry conditions are expected into at least mid to late October with no precipitation forecast over the next 7-days. 

Longer range outlooks for late October into early November favor above normal temperatures with slightly elevated odds of below normal precipitation persisting. 

These factors favor current drought conditions to either presist or continue to expand over the next 3 months. 
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.
Acknowledgements