Drought Information Statement for Central and Southern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Valid June 20, 2025 Issued By: NWS Twin Cities / Chanhassen, MN Contact Information: This product will be updated July 17, 2025 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/MPX/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/ for regional drought status updates. Heavy summer rains continue to eat away at drought conditions U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D0 (Abnormally Dry): Small pockets of abnormally dry conditions remain in southwest and central Minnesota. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Heavy rains over the last month have pushed drought conditions out of southern and central Minnesota and western Wisconsin 1-month and 3-month percent of normal precipitation Precipitation Departures Very heavy rains have been observed across much of southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin over the last 30 day, enough rain to even ameliorate any dryness going back the last 90 days. 1-week and 1-month temperature departure Temperature Departures The last 30 days have brought cooler temperatures more than it has warmth. These cooler than normal temperatures when combined with above normal rainfall has been key to beating back the drought. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts River and lake levels across the region are all running near to above normal (USGS Streamflow). Agricultural Impacts Recent rains have soil moisture and crop conditions in good shape through mid-June (State USDA Crop Reports). Fire Hazard Impacts The heavy rains of the last 30 days have put an end to the high fire dangers we saw in the first half of May Other Impacts No known additional impacts. Mitigation Actions None Currently in place. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Average streamflow for the past 7 days For central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, the recent wet weather has allowed for stream flows to be near to above normal. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture from NASA SPoRT Heavy rains to start the summer has soil moisture across the region in good shape. As a result, crop and pasture land across Minnesota and Wisconsin are rated at fair (3 out 5) or better across over 90% of each state. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast The active weather pattern is expected to persist through the week of June 23rd as the front that breaks the heat of June 21st and 22nd gets hung up next week from eastern Nebraska to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A widespread 1.5 to 4+ inches of rain is expected through the week of June 23rd, this will keep drought worries at bay in the near-term. July Outlooks The latest weekly to seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The July temperature outlook favors above normal temperatures across Minnesota and Wisconsin. The July precipitation outlook slightly favors below normal precipitation for western Minnesota. These outlooks favor a warm ridge building across the Rockies. The result for this region is that we’ll see a predominate WNW flow that will tend to bring the heat from the Rockies across the northern US and shift the active storm path farther east than what we have seen in June. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage With no strong signal for above, below, or near normal rainfall expected through July, no expansions of drought are currently expected. Drought Definitions and State Resources What do those categories mean? Drought Category Definitions: Comprehensive Drought Information for Minnesota: http://www.drought.gov/state/minnesota Comprehensive Drought Information for Wisconsin: http://www.drought.gov/state/wisconsin These sites contain links to resources from each state, to help you dive into drought information in more detail.