Drought Information Statement for 
SE SD, SW MN, NW IA, Far NE Neb 
Valid June 4, 2026
Issued By: WFO Sioux Falls, SD
Contact Information: w-fsd.webmaster@noaa.gov
This product will be updated as conditions warrant.  
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/fsd/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.
WIDESPREAD DROUGHT CONTINUES, FOCUSED IN SOUTH DAKOTA WITH SEVERE TO LOCALIZED EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS


LONG RANGE OUTLOOKS FAVOR DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSISTING OR EXPANDING
1

Latest U.S. Drought Monitor
Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for SE South Dakota, SW Minnesota, NW Iowa, far NE Nebraska
…Widespread Moderate to Severe Drought Conditions with Localized Extreme Drought…

Drought Intensity and Extent

D3 (Extreme Drought): Portions of southern South Dakota into northern Nebraska

D2 (Severe Drought): Much of southeast South Dakota into northeast Nebraska, and extreme southwest Minnesota.

D1 (Moderate Drought): Near and west of I-29 not covered by more substantial drought categories.

D0 (Abnormally Dry): Remaining areas not in more substantial drought coverage across northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota. 

Precipitation Departure From Normal
Beneficial rainfall has fallen in some areas, but other than far SE South Dakota, has generally still stayed short of climatology (below normal for the 14 day period).

Many areas still are carrying a long term precipitation deficit for the Water Year (since Oct 1st); some as much as 4-9 inches below normal. 

NOTE: Data in this packet is as of the morning of June 2nd and does not factor in rainfall since then.  

Precipitation Departure From Normal
Water Year (Since Oct 1st)
Precipitation Departure From Normal
Month to Date

Summary of Impacts
Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter
Hydrologic Impacts 
River and stream levels are generally below, to well below normal, through portions of the Big Sioux, Rock, and Vermillion basins and within normal ranges elsewhere.  A below normal runoff is forecast by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Missouri River, with water conservation measures in place for the reservoir system. 

Agricultural Impacts
Reports of pasture land being well behind schedule and concern about livestock. Stock ponds dried up with poor water quality. Potential heavy degree of crop yield loss expected in portions of south central South Dakota. 

Fire Hazard Impacts
No recent reports 

Other Impacts
None reported

Mitigation Actions
Monitoring notifications for water rights sent to some users. 

Hydrologic Conditions
Below to well below normal stream levels through portions of the Big Sioux, Rock, and Vermillion Basins. 

Groundwater well data from Renner, SD has been falling throughout May and early June.
Groundwater Wells Data: Renner, SD
Near Huron, SD
USGS Streamflow Data: 
National Water Dashboard
USGS Streamflow Status Map - 14 Day Average (valid 06/4/2026)

Agricultural and Soil Moisture Impacts
SD
As of May 31st
Very Short Moisture
Short Moisture
Adequate Moisture
Moisture Surplus
Topsoil
21%
36%
41%
2%
Subsoil
26%
37%
36%
1%
IA
As of May 31st
Very Short Moisture
Short Moisture
Adequate Moisture
Moisture Surplus
Topsoil
3%
28%
64%
5%
Subsoil
3%
25%
66%
6%
MN
As of May 31st
Very Short Moisture
Short Moisture
Adequate Moisture
Moisture Surplus
Topsoil
4%
31%
63%
2%
Subsoil
4%
31%
63%
2%
USDA Crop Progress and Condition Reports
South Dakota
Minnesota
Iowa
Nebraska


Medium and Long-Range Outlooks
The latest medium range and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Temperature
Precipitation
Thunderstorm and locally heavy rain chances exist June 4-5th, but any benefits will likely be more localized rather than widespread. 
Short Range Outlook
Medium range outlooks favor above normal temperatures and near to above normal precipitation into Mid June. Outlooks for the remainder of summer lack a clear signal in temperature with a slight lean toward below normal precipitation. 
Medium to Long Range Outlook

Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Despite recent rainfall, significant long term precipitation deficits exist over much of the region with the greatest deficits across southern South Dakota. 

While rain chances exists over the next 7 days, any widespread relief is uncertain as thunderstorm generated rainfall can be more localized. 

The latest drought-related information can be found at: weather.gov/fsd/drought. Additional Drought Statements will be issued as conditions warrant. 
The drought monitor is a multi-agency effort involving NOAA’s National Weather Service and National Climatic Data Center, the USDA, state and regional center climatologists and the National Drought Mitigation Center. Information for this statement has been gathered from NWS and FAA observation sites, cooperative and volunteer observations, USDAFS, the USDA and USGS.
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