Drought Has Ended for Much of the AreaUpdated on Thursday, April 24, 2024 |
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Meteorological spring (began on March 1) has been on the wet side with precipitation surpluses up to 3.5". This has resulted in the moderate (D1) drought ending across much of the area. At this time, only southern Grant County (WI) and southwest Fayette County (IA) are in a moderate (D1) drought. Abnormally dry (D0) conditions still exists across northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest Wisconsin. Note: The impacts of any precipitation that fell after 7 AM Tuesday, April 22 will be evaluated next week. U.S. Drought Monitor Summary: In the April 22 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, it ranged from no drought to severe (D2) drought in Minnesota, and from no drought to moderate (D1) drought in northern Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Note: The data cutoff for Drought Monitor maps is Tuesday at 7 a.m. Central Daylight Time.
Abnormally Dry (D0) to Moderate (D1) Drought in all or parts of:
Abnormally Dry (D0) in all or parts of:
No known actions are taking place in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. Climatological Summary:
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The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly collaborative effort between several federal agencies including NOAA/NWS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center. Details and explanations of the Drought Monitor can be found at: The categories of drought are defined as follows: Moderate Drought (D1) - Some damage to crops and pastures; fire risk high; streams, reservoirs, or wells low, some water shortages developing or imminent, voluntary water use restrictions requested. Severe Drought (D2) - Crop or pasture losses likely; fire risk very high; water shortages common; water restrictions imposed. Extreme Drought (D3) - Major crop/pasture losses; extreme fire danger; widespread water shortages or restrictions. Exceptional Drought (D4) - Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; exceptional fire risk; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells, creating water emergencies. Disaster & Drought Assistance:
Other Drought Web Sites:
Drought Plans:
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As of the morning of April 22, rivers and stream flows were near- to much-above normal in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and from southwest into central Wisconsin. NOTE: This is time-sensitive and conditions could change. Updated river and streamflow conditions can be found via links to the right. |
Hourly and forecast river stages out to 90 days can be found at: Additional Current stream and river stages may be viewed at: An interactive table of sites that are at or near record flows can be found at: |
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Here are the latest Agricultural Statistics Service reports for Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin issued on April 21, 2025. Iowa Planters were rolling across much of the State before being slowed by precipitation. Iowa farmers averaged 5.5 suitable for fieldwork for the week. In addition to planting corn, soybeans and oats, fieldwork included tiling, building waterways and spraying when winds allowed.
Corn planted reached 18 percent, 3 days ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of the 5-year average. Eleven percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted, 3 days ahead of last year and 1 week ahead of the 5-year average. Oats seeding reached 68 percent complete, 5 days behind last year but 3 days ahead of the 5-year average. Twenty-three percent of the expected oat acreage has emerged, 4 days behind last year but 5 days ahead of normal. Minnesota Corn planting ramped up in southern Minnesota, while farmers in the state saw 4.1 days suitable for fieldwork during the week. Field activities included spring tillage, rock picking, manure hauling, fertilizer application, and sugar beet planting. Livestock were doing well with calving and lambing continuing.
Corn planted was at 9 percent complete, compared to 7 percent last year and the five-year average of 4 percent. Soybeans were 3 percent planted, a couple of days behind last year but ahead of the five-year average of 1 percent. Barley, oats, and spring wheat were 2 percent, 21 percent, and 3 percent planted, respectively. Potatoes were 8 percent planted, and sugar beets 2 percent planted. Wisconsin Wisconsin had 3.9 days suitable for fieldwork statewide for the week. While days suitable increased, rainy and wet conditions across much of the state limited fieldwork. Field activities included spreading fertilizer and manure, as well as tillage as conditions allowed.
Corn planting was 1 percent complete, while 2 percent of soybeans have been planted. Oat planting was 17 percent complete, 1 day behind both last year and the 5-year average. Potato planting has reached 14 percent, 5 days behind last year but even with the average. Spring tillage was 15 percent complete, 4 days behind last year and 2 days behind the average. Pasture and range condition was rated 27 percent good to excellent, up 3 percentage points from last week. Winter wheat condition was rated 52 percent good to excellent, up 6 percentage points from last week.
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Soil moisture supply measures how much moisture is present in cropland topsoil during the week. Soil moisture is reported as a percentage. The categories very short, short, adequate, and surplus must add up to 100%.
Additional information on agriculture impacts may be viewed from the: |
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As of the morning of April 22, fire danger was moderate (fires start easily and spread at a moderate rate) to high (fires start easily and spread at a high rate) southeast Minnesota, moderate fire danger in northeast Iowa, and low (fires are not easily started) fire danger in Wisconsin. NOTE: This is time-sensitive and conditions could change from day to day. Fire conditions can change drastically on drier, windy days. Updated DNR fire conditions can be found via links to the right. Citizens should always check with local officials in their area before undertaking any outside burning. Citizens are liable for damages and suppression costs of any wildfire they may start. |
Description of Fire Danger Ratings For updated DNR Fire Conditions consult the following Web Sites: The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is a drought index that is specifically related to fire potential. The KDBI is broken into four categories which indicate the susceptibility of ground fuels to fire danger. Below are the four categories and a brief description of each.
KBDI and Dead Fuel Moisture data can be found through the: Burn Bans: |
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From April 24 through April 29, temperatures will average near to above normal, and precipitation will average above normal. During this time frame, daily average temperatures range from 49 to 54°F, and precipitation averages around 8-tenths of an inch. From April 30 through May 6 (8-14 day outlook), the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has the odds tiltled toward above-normal temperatures (33-50%). Meanwhile, precipitation is expected to be near-normal precipitation. The normal daily average temperatures for this period range from 51 to 56°F and the normal precipitation is around 9 tenths of an inch. For May, CPC has equal chances of above-, near-, and below-normal temperatures and precipitation. The daily average temperatures for this period range from around 50 to 55°F and the normal precipitation ranges from 3.5 to 4" north of Interstate 94 and from 4 to 5.25" elsewhere. For meteorological summer (June 1 through August 31), CPC has the odds tilted slightly toward warmer-than-normal temperatures (33-40%) and below-normal precipitation (33-50% - highest west of the Mississippi River) in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Seasonal temperatures range from 65 to 75°F (highest along the Mississippi River and in northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. Seasonal precipitation ranges from 12 to 13" north of Interstate 94 and from 13 to 15" across the remainder of the area. Below are the seasonal outlooks for the next year.
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For updated temperature and precipitation probabilities consult the following Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Web Sites:
NCEP's CFSv2 (Coupled Forecast System Model Version 2): |
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If you have any questions or comments about this drought information please contact the NWS La Crosse at: E-mail: nws.lacrosse@noaa.gov |
Other Contacts: State climate impacts: |
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