Little Change in the Dryness South of I-90Updated on Thursday, May 8, 2024 |
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Meteorological spring (began on March 1) has been on the wet side with precipitation surpluses up to 4". At this time, only southern Grant County (WI) is in a moderate (D1) drought. Abnormally dry (D0) conditions still exists across parts of northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest Wisconsin south of Interstate 90. Note: The impacts of any precipitation that fell after 7 AM Tuesday, May 6 will be evaluated next week. U.S. Drought Monitor Summary: In the May 6 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, it ranged from no drought to moderate (D1) drought in northern Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, 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 May 8, rivers and stream flows were near- to above normal in northeast Iowa and from southwest into central Wisconsin. Meanwhile, flows were near normal in southeast Minnesota. 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 28, 2025. Iowa While some producers were able to get into their fields, precipitation continued to delay planting in many parts of the State, allowing only 3.2 days suitable for fieldwork.
Corn planted reached 49 percent, 3 days ahead of last year but 2 days behind the 5-year average. Corn emerged reached 10 percent, 2 days ahead of last year’s pace and 3 days ahead of normal. Thirty-eight percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted, one week ahead of last year and 2 days ahead of the 5-year average. Soybeans emerged reached 5 percent. Oats seeding reached 91 percent complete. Fifty-eight percent of the expected oat acreage has emerged, 4 days behind last year but 3 days ahead of normal. The first oat condition rating of the season was 1 percent very poor, 2 percent poor, 18 percent fair, 66 percent good and 13 percent excellent. Pasture condition rated 60 percent good to excellent. No livestock issues were reported. Minnesota Minnesota farmers averaged 3.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week. Most of the state received some much-needed rain, but it did slow down planting in some areas. No livestock issues were reported.
Corn planting was 44 percent complete, putting planting progress two days ahead of 2024. Soybeans were 22 percent planted, reaching that level five days Barley planting was 22 percent complete, with 5 percent of the 2024 crop emerged. Oats reached 51 percent planted and 15 percent emerged, and spring wheat was 30 percent planted and 5 percent emerged. Dry edible beans reached 10 percent planted, potatoes reached 23 percent, sugar beets 77 percent, and sunflowers 4 percent. Pasture condition was rated 2 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 43 percent fair, 43 percent good, and 7 percent excellent. Wisconsin Wisconsin had 3.2 days suitable for fieldwork statewide for the week. Rainy conditions, especially in northern areas of the state hampered planting efforts. Pastures, hay and small grains benefited from the moisture.
Corn planting was 16 percent complete, 2 days behind both last year and the 5-year average. Scattered corn emergence was reported in a few counties. Soybeans were 17 percent planted, 2 days behind last year but 1 day ahead of the average. Oat planting was 36 percent complete, 7 days behind last year and 5 days behind the average. Oats were 10 percent emerged. Potato planting reached 55 percent complete, 9 days behind last year but nearly even with the average. Spring tillage was 42 percent complete, 7 days behind last year and 3 days behind the average. The first all hay condition rated 1 percent very poor, 6 percent poor, 25 percent fair, 55 percent good and 13 percent excellent. Winter wheat condition was rated 63 percent good to excellent, up 5 percentage points from last week. Pasture and range condition was rated 47 percent good to excellent, up 10 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 May 6, fire danger was high (fires start easily and spread at a fast rate) to very high (fires start easily and spread at a very fast rate) in central Wisconsin. Meanwhile, there was high fire danger in southeast Minnesota, moderate (fires start easily and spread at a moderate rate) fire danger in southwest and west-central Wisconsin, and low (fires are not easily started) fire danger in northeast Iowa. 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 May 8 through May 15, temperatures will average above normal, and precipitation will average below normal. During this time frame, daily average temperatures range from 54 to 59°F, and precipitation averages around an inch. From May 16 through May 22 (8-14 day outlook), the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has near to above-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation (33-40%). The normal daily average temperatures for this period range from 57 to 62°F and the normal precipitation is around an inch. 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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