Drought Information Statement for Southern Wisconsin Valid 2/20/25 Issued By: NWS Milwaukee Contact Information: nws.milwaukee@noaa.gov This product will be updated 2/20/25 or sooner if conditions deteriorate substantially. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements Please visit https://www.weather.gov/mkx/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 1 Wisconsin Drought Update 4 Week Drought Condition Class Change Moderate drought across southeast Lafayette, Green, Rock, Walworth, Waukesha, southeast Washington, Ozaukee, Milwaukee, western Racine and Kenosha counties Over the past 4 weeks abnormally dry conditions developed across the remainder of southern Wisconsin Precipitation Precipitation deficits in the drought area of southeast Wisconsin over the past 30 days are 25-50% of normal. Precipitation deficits in the drought area of southeast Wisconsin over the past 120 days are 50 to 70% of normal. Fire Hazard Impacts Significant wildland fire potential outlook is normal for Wisconsin during March Image Caption: Significant Wildland Fire Potential Monthly Outlook Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center Latest WI DNR Fire Danger map available here and DNR Burn Restrictions available here. NICC outlook maps are set to auto-update. New maps are produced on the first weekday of each month (see direct links below) Can also include Burn Ban info here If your area or state has other parameters available (i.e KBDI, ERC, etc) you can add these as well. 1-Month: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc-files/predictive/outlooks/month1_outlook.png 2-Month: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc-files/predictive/outlooks/month2_outlook.png 3-Month:https://www.nifc.gov/nicc-files/predictive/outlooks/month3_outlook.png 4-Month: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc-files/predictive/outlooks/month4_outlook.png Homepage: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive-services/outlooks Current Conditions Daily Streamflow Daily streamflow in the drought area of southeast Wisconsin is in the 10-24th percentile, the below normal category. Streamflows across most of the rest of southern Wisconsin are in the 25-75th percentile, the normal category. Soil moisture is in the 10 - 30th percentile in southeast Wisconsin. CPC Soil Moisture Percentile Feb 19, 2025 7 Day Precipitation Forecast 0.50-2.00” Little precipitation is expected over the next 7 days Week 2 Outlook There are increased odds (45%) for below average temperature during Feb 27- March 5. There are slightly increased odds (40%) for near average precipitation Feb 27- March 5. Month Outlook There are equal chances of below, near and above average temperatures for March. There are increased chances (50%) of above average precipitation for March. 3 Month Outlook There are equal chances of below, near and above average temperatures during March to April. There are slightly increased chances (40%) of above average precipitation during March to April. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage With the wet signal in the 3 month outlook, drought removal is likely during the Feb 20 to May 31 time frame. Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook Both the Monthly and the Seasonal Drought Outlook images will auto-populate, but please only include one on the slide, moving the other off to the right. Use whichever image tells the best story for your area of interest. Be sure to use the correct caption box and edit the released and valid dates as well. You can and should reference the temperature and precipitation outlooks to support the message, but please keep this slide to 1 image. Discussions: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/mdo_summary.php https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/sdo_summary.php For USAPI, can consider using NMME imagery for temperature and/or precipitation to help message potential drought improvement/degradation/amelioration.