Drought Information Statement for Northeast IA, Southeast MN, & Western, WI Valid May 1, 2025 Issued By: WFO La Crosse, WI Contact Information: w-arx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated Thursday, May 8, 2024. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/ARX/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. Drought Has Ended for Most of the Area Drought intensity and extent... Abnormally Dry (D0) and moderate drought (D1) conditions continue in southern Grant County (WI). Abnormally dry (D0) conditions continue in parts of northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest Wisconsin. Recent Change in Drought Intensity... During the past week, there has been a 1-category improvement in the abnormally dry (D0) and moderate drought (D1) areas of northeast Iowa. Precipitation... The dryness from meteorological autumn continued into meteorological winter. This resulted in 2 to 7" deficits along and west of the Mississippi River. Meteorological spring (began on March 1) has been on the wetter side with precipitation surpluses up to 6 inches. This has ended the moderate (D1) drought conditions across most of the area. Only southern Grant County (WI) still has moderate (D1) drought conditions. Temperature... During the last week of April, temperatures range from 1°F to 6°F warmer than normal. During the past 30 days, temperature departures ranged from 1°F to 3°F colder than normal north of Interstate 94 and near normal to 3°F warmer than normal elsewhere. Summary of Impacts... Hydrologic Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Agricultural Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Fire Hazard Impacts As of the morning of April 29, fire danger was low (fires are not easily started) to moderate (fires start easily and spread at a moderate rate) in southeast Minnesota, and low (fires are not easily started) fire danger was reported in northeast Iowa and from southwest into central Wisconsin. Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions No known actions are taking place in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts... The dryness from meteorological autumn continued into meteorological winter. This resulted in 2 to 7" deficits along and west of the Mississippi River. Meteorological spring (began on March 1) has been on the wetter side with precipitation surpluses up to 6 inches. This has ended the moderate (D1) drought conditions across most of the area. Only southern Grant County (WI) still has moderate (D1) drought conditions. Fire Hazard Impacts... As of the morning of April 29, fire danger was low (fires are not easily started) to moderate (fires start easily and spread at a moderate rate) in southeast Minnesota, and low (fires are not easily started) fire danger was reported in northeast Iowa and from southwest into central Wisconsin. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast... From May 3 through May 10, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) is forecasting little rain across the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Normal precipitation is around 9/10” for this time period. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook... From May 10 through May 16, rapid onset drought (at least a 2-category degradation) is not expected in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and from southwest into central Wisconsin. Long-Range Outlooks... During May, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has tilted the odds toward temperatures warmer than normal (40-60%) and precipitation to drier than normal (33-50%). Drought Outlook... Drought is expected to develop south of Interstate 90 between May and July.