Drought Information Statement for Central and Southern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Valid April 17, 2025 Issued By: NWS Twin Cities / Chanhassen, MN Contact Information: This product will be updated May 15, 2025 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/MPX/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. Wet pattern going back through March continues to slowly chip away at drought conditions across the region Drought intensity and Extent D1 (Moderate Drought): Small portions of west central Minnesota continue to be in Moderate Drought D0 (Abnormally Dry): Central and south central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin Recent Change in Drought Intensity A mix of wet and continued dry conditions over the last month has a resulted in a mix of degradation and improvement across central and southern Minnesota 1-month and 3-month percent of normal precipitation Precipitation Departures Recent wet weather from March into April has nearly removed all precipitation deficits going back the last 30 and 90 days 1-week and 1-month temperature departure Though the last week has been cooler, over the last 30 days, temperatures have run slightly above normal These warmer temperatures have not been warm enough though to provide water stress across the region Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts A lack of snow to melt this Spring has resulted in rivers generally running near to a little below normal for what is our typical high flow time of year (USGS Streamflow). Agricultural Impacts We are just beginning to see field work starting for the season, so it is still too early to see agriculture impacts (State USDA Crop Reports). Fire Hazard Impacts We are in heart of the Spring fire season until sufficient green-up of the grasses occur (MN Fire Danger, WI Fire Danger). Some portions of southern Minnesota currently have burn restrictions for all but recreational fires Other Impacts No known additional impacts. Mitigation Actions None Currently in place. Average streamflow for the past 7 days Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts A lack of a deep snowpack to melt has resulted in no snow melt flooding this Spring Rivers across southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin are generally running near normal Fire Hazard Impacts With the snow gone and grasses still not green, fire danger remains high as we are in the peak of the Spring fire season Seven Day Precipitation Forecast The heaviest precipitation over the next 7 days is expected across the eastern half of Minnesota and Wisconsin, where 1 to 1.5 inches of rain are possible Forecast amounts over the next 7 days falls to under a quarter of an inch in western Minnesota May Outlooks The latest weekly to seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The May outlook is a low confidence one. There is no strong signal for above or below normal temperatures for the entire month of May, with all of MN and WI with Equal Chances in the temperature outlook. An active storm track is expected across the Ohio River valley. There is Equal Chances of above or below normal precipitation across most of MN & WI in May. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Going through the rest of Spring, some expansion in drought conditions is possible in western Minnesota where the greatest long-term precipitation linger back into the Fall of 2024 Drought Definitions and State Resources What do those categories mean? Drought Category Definitions: Comprehensive Drought Information for Minnesota: http://www.drought.gov/state/minnesota Comprehensive Drought Information for Wisconsin: http://www.drought.gov/state/wisconsin These sites contain links to resources from each state, to help you dive into drought information in more detail.