Drought Information Statement for Northern IN, Southern MI, Northwest OH
Valid December 18, 2025
Issued By: NWS Northern Indiana on December 19, 2025
Contact Information: nws.northernindiana@noaa.gov  574-834-1104
This product will be updated on or after January 2, 2026.
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/iwx/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.
The Drought Monitor remains largely unchanged from mid-November; Severe to Extreme Drought (levels 2 and 3 of 4) persists along and south of US 24
Drought impacts are less pronounced in winter, but deficits remain problematic
Fort Wayne remains on pace for its driest year on record with a precipitation deficit of nearly 15”  year-to-date


U.S. Drought Monitor
Drought Intensity and Extent:
D3 (Extreme Drought) and D2 (Severe Drought): All Indiana and Ohio counties along and south of US 24
D1 (Moderate Drought): Southern Lower Michigan and northeast Indiana through central Indiana
D0 (Abnormally Dry): Portions of north-central Indiana and southern Lower Michigan

In the past 7 days, precipitation has been minimal, with a clipper system passing through central Indiana and some lake effect snow
Lake effect snow resulted in above-normal precipitation for some counties in the last 30-days
Northwest Ohio continues to experience below-normal precipitation 


Summary of Impacts
Hydrologic Impacts 
Streamflows (unless frozen), continue to be well below normal according to USGS data

Agricultural Impacts
No known impacts at this time.

Fire Hazard Impacts
No known impacts at this time.

Other Impacts
No known impacts at this time.

Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts
Image Caption: USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC map valid December 18
Streamflows are reading less than 10% of normal (red) in portions of the Wabash and Maumee River basins.
Streamflows are reading 10-24% of normal (orange) in northwest Ohio, northeast Indiana, and southern Michigan.

Seven Day Precipitation Forecast

Precipitation chances will be minimal through December 26

Long-Range Outlooks
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Above normal precipitation is favored for January, primarily due to ongoing La Niña conditions 
Precipitation could fall as either rain or snow
For temperatures, there are equal chance for above or below normal temperatures
A mild start to the month could give way to a colder end to January

Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Drought conditions are anticipated to improve, per the Climate Prediction Center. This is primarily due to typical La Niña conditions which favor above normal precipitation for the Midwest.
Precipitation departures:
Year-to-date, Fort Wayne is experiencing the driest year on record (records began in 1897) with a deficit of nearly 15” for the year.