Drought Information Statement for Northeast IA, Southeast MN, & Western, WI Valid May 8, 2025 Issued By: WFO La Crosse, WI Contact Information: w-arx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated Thursday, May 15, 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. ...Little Change in the Dryness South of I-90... 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 south of Interstate 90. Recent Change in Drought Intensity... During the past week, there has been no change in the abnormally dry (D0) and moderate drought (D1) conditions south of Interstate 90. 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 4”. Moderate (D1) drought lingers across southern Grant County (WI). Abnormally dry (D0) conditions still exists across parts of northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest Wisconsin. Temperature... During the last week of April and early May, temperatures range from near normal to 3°F warmer than normal. During the past 30 days, temperature departures ranged from near normal to 3°F colder than normal. 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 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. 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 4”. 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. 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. Fire Hazard Impacts... 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. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast... From May 8 through May 15, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) is forecasting anywhere from 0.10” to 0.50” of rain across the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Normal precipitation is around an inch for this time period. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook... From May 16 through May 22, 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... From May-July, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has tilted the odds toward temperatures warmer than normal (33-40%) in southwest Wisconsin. Elsewhere, there are equal chances of above-, near-, and below-normal temperatures and precipitation. Drought Outlook... Drought is expected to develop south of Interstate 90 between May and July.