National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Drought & Dryness Expands

Updated on Thursday, February 6, 2024
Next Scheduled Update:  Thursday, February 20, 2024

Summary:

The dryness from meteorological autumn continued into early February, precipitation totals ranged 5.13" near Oelwein, IA to 12.65" near Hillsboro, WI (COOP). Precipitation anomalies ranged from 6" drier than normal to near normal. During this same time period, temperatures anomalies ranged from 1 to 4°F warmer than normal. This combination of this dryness and above-normal temperatures resulted in the expansion of abnormally dry (D0) to moderate (D1) drought across much of the La Crosse Hydrologic Service Area (HSA).

Note:  The impacts of any precipitation that fell after 7 AM Tuesday, February 6 will be evaluated next week.

U.S. Drought Monitor Summary:

In the February 4 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, it ranged from no drought to severe (D2) drought in Iowa and Minnesota, and from no drought to moderate (D1) drought in northern Illinois and Wisconsin.

NoteThe data cutoff for Drought Monitor maps is Tuesday at 7 a.m. Central Daylight Time.

U.S. Drought Monitor for January 14, 2025 

State Drought Statistics

Iowa Drought Statistics

Minnesota drought statistics

Wisconsin Drought Statistics

Iowa

Minnesota

Wisconsin


Local Area Affected:

Moderate (D1) Drought in all or parts of:

  • Northeast Iowa: Allamakee, Clayton, Chickasaw, Fayette, Floyd, Howard, Mitchell, and Winneshiek counties.
  • Southeast Minnesota: Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, and Winona counties.

Abnormally Dry (D0) to Moderate (D1) Drought in all or parts of:​

  • Southeast Minnesota: Dodge and Wabasha counties.
  • Western Wisconsin: Buffalo, Crawford, Grant, La Crosse, Richland, Taylor, Trempealeau, and Vernon counties.

Abnormally Dry (D0) in all or parts of:​

  • Western Wisconsin: Adams, Clark, Jackson, Juneau, and Monroe counties.

La Crosse WI CWA Latest Drought Information
State/Local Government Actions:

No known actions are taking place in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and western Wisconsin.

Climatological Summary:

From September 1 through November 30 (meteorological autumn), precipitation totals ranged from 3.58" near Oelwein, IA to 11.16" near Hillsboro, WI. Precipitation anomalies ranged from 4" drier than normal to 1" wetter than normal. During this same time period, temperatures anomalies ranged from 3 to 5°F warmer than normal. 

This dryness and warmer-than-normal temperatures continued into meteorological winter. From December through early February, precipitation totals ranged from 1.09" near Stewartville, MN to 2.46" near Warrens, WI. Precipitation anomalies ranged from near to 3" drier than normal. Temperatures anomalies ranged from near normal to 3°F warmer than normal. 

 

 

Precipitation Departures from December 1, 2024 through February 6, 2025.

This combination of this dryness and above-normal temperatures resulted in the expansion of abnormally dry (D0) to moderate (D1) drought across much of the La Crosse Hydrologic Service Area (HSA).

 

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:

U.S. Drought Monitor

The categories of drought are defined as follows:

Abnormally Dry (D0)
- Going into drought: short-term dryness slowing planting, growth of crops or pastures; fire risk above average. Coming out of drought: some lingering water deficits; pastures or crops not fully recovered.

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.

Potential Evapotranspiration Rates:

Disaster & Drought Assistance:

Other Drought Web Sites:

Drought Plans:

 

 

River and Stream Flow Conditions:

As of the morning of February 4, rivers and stream flows were near 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:

Fire Danger Hazards:

As of the morning of February 4, fire danger was moderate (fires start easily and spread at a moderate rate) in north-central Iowa  and south of Interstate 90 in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, fire danger remained low (fires are not easily started) in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota and north of Interstate 90 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.

Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KDBI)
KBDI Value
Description of Fire Potential
0 to 200
Low - Wet with little danger of fire initiation
201 to 400
Moderate - Drying occurring with some fire danger
401 to 600
High - Ground cover is dry and will burn readily
601 to 800
Extreme - Dead and live fuels will burn readily

KBDI and Dead Fuel Moisture data can be found through the:

Burn Bans:

Precipitation/Temperature Outlooks:

From February 6 through February 11, temperatures and precipitation will average below normal. During this time frame, daily average temperatures range from 16 to 21°F, and precipitation averages around a quarter inch. 

From February 12 through February 18 (8-14 day outlook), the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is forecasting enhanced chances of below-normal temperatures (50-60%) and above-normal precipitation. The normal daily average temperatures for this period range from 18 to 23°F and the normal precipitation averages around 3 tenths of an inch. 

From March through May, the CPC has equal chances of above-, near-, and below-normal temperatures and precipitation in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Seasonal temperatures are in 35 to 40°F range north of Interstate 94 and from 40 to 45°F across the remainder of the area. Seasonal precipitation ranges from 8 to 9" north of Interstate 90 and from 9 to 12" across the remainder of the area.

Below are the seasonal outlooks for the next year.

Seasonal Temperature Outlooks

Precipitation Outlooks

Temperatures

Precipitation

For updated temperature and precipitation probabilities consult the following Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Web Sites:

NCEP's CFSv2 (Coupled Forecast System Model Version 2):

County Analysis Precipitation Tool

Questions or Comments:

If you have any questions or comments about this drought information please contact the NWS La Crosse at:

E-mail: nws.lacrosse@noaa.gov
Telephone: 608-784-8275

The climate and drought focal point at the NWS La Crosse is Jeff Boyne.

Other Contacts:

Local Agricultural Impacts:

State climate impacts: