Is Wisconsin in a drought?
This week's U.S. Drought Monitor for Wisconsin, and the category in each of its 72 counties, from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Yes, in part: 51.93% of Wisconsin is in drought (D1 to D4).
57.72% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4), 43.5% in severe drought or worse (D2 to D4), 22.03% extreme or worse (D3 to D4) and 4.47% in D4 Exceptional Drought.
Next map: released Thursday 22 October 2026.
On the map valid 13 October 2026, 38 of 72 counties had some drought (D1 or worse); 4 more were abnormally dry (D0) only. D4 Exceptional Drought somewhere in 6. D3 Extreme Drought somewhere in 10. D2 Severe Drought somewhere in 13.
Every county, map valid 13 October 2026
The category is the most severe one covering any part of the county; the share says how much of it. "Weeks" counts the weekly maps in a row with that category or worse somewhere in it.
| County | Category this week | Share in it | In drought (D1–D4) | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Ashland County | D4 Exceptional Drought | 62.93% | 100% | 4 weeks |
| Barron County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Bayfield County | D4 Exceptional Drought | 51.37% | 100% | 4 weeks |
| Brown County | D1 Moderate Drought | 21.17% | 21.17% | 10 weeks |
| Buffalo County | D2 Severe Drought | 9.68% | 29.06% | 8 weeks |
| Burnett County | D3 Extreme Drought | 61.73% | 100% | 8 weeks |
| Calumet County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Chippewa County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Clark County | D2 Severe Drought | 39.33% | 99.75% | 8 weeks |
| Columbia County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Crawford County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Dane County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Dodge County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Door County | D1 Moderate Drought | 100% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Douglas County | D4 Exceptional Drought | 22.85% | 100% | 4 weeks |
| Dunn County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Eau Claire County | D2 Severe Drought | 52.24% | 100% | 8 weeks |
| Florence County | D3 Extreme Drought | 100% | 100% | 3 weeks |
| Fond du Lac County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Forest County | D3 Extreme Drought | 77.96% | 100% | 5 weeks |
| Grant County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Green County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Green Lake County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Iowa County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Iron County | D4 Exceptional Drought | 73.84% | 100% | 4 weeks |
| Jackson County | D1 Moderate Drought | 23.43% | 23.43% | 10 weeks |
| Jefferson County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Juneau County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 2.13% | 0% | 1 week |
| Kenosha County | None | 0% | 9 weeks | |
| Kewaunee County | D1 Moderate Drought | 35.87% | 35.87% | 10 weeks |
| La Crosse County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Lafayette County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Langlade County | D3 Extreme Drought | 0.8% | 99.95% | 1 week |
| Lincoln County | D3 Extreme Drought | 11.45% | 100% | 1 week |
| Manitowoc County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Marathon County | D2 Severe Drought | 26.42% | 81.11% | 8 weeks |
| Marinette County | D3 Extreme Drought | 32.2% | 100% | 3 weeks |
| Marquette County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Menominee County | D1 Moderate Drought | 24.02% | 24.02% | 10 weeks |
| Milwaukee County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Monroe County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 1.89% | 0% | 21 weeks |
| Oconto County | D2 Severe Drought | 15.96% | 100% | 1 week |
| Oneida County | D3 Extreme Drought | 98.81% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Outagamie County | D1 Moderate Drought | 0.48% | 0.48% | 3 weeks |
| Ozaukee County | None | 0% | 6 weeks | |
| Pepin County | D2 Severe Drought | 88.32% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Pierce County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Polk County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Portage County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 22.96% | 0% | 20 weeks |
| Price County | D3 Extreme Drought | 64.78% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Racine County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Richland County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Rock County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Rusk County | D3 Extreme Drought | 16.91% | 100% | 9 weeks |
| Sauk County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Sawyer County | D4 Exceptional Drought | 12.32% | 100% | 4 weeks |
| Shawano County | D1 Moderate Drought | 23.12% | 23.12% | 10 weeks |
| Sheboygan County | None | 0% | 5 weeks | |
| St. Croix County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 10 weeks |
| Taylor County | D2 Severe Drought | 100% | 100% | 8 weeks |
| Trempealeau County | D1 Moderate Drought | 6.2% | 6.2% | 10 weeks |
| Vernon County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Vilas County | D4 Exceptional Drought | 0.46% | 100% | 2 weeks |
| Walworth County | None | 0% | 8 weeks | |
| Washburn County | D3 Extreme Drought | 81.96% | 100% | 8 weeks |
| Washington County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Waukesha County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Waupaca County | D0 Abnormally Dry | 32.3% | 0% | 1 week |
| Waushara County | None | 0% | 3 weeks | |
| Winnebago County | None | 0% | 4 weeks | |
| Wood County | D1 Moderate Drought | 16.4% | 16.4% | 10 weeks |
Natural disaster risk in Wisconsin by county · Drought in every state
The categories
| Category | Name |
|---|---|
| D0 | Abnormally Dry (not drought: going into or coming out of drought) |
| D1 | Moderate Drought |
| D2 | Severe Drought |
| D3 | Extreme Drought |
| D4 | Exceptional Drought |
What each category means on the ground is described on the Drought Monitor's classification page.
How this page reads the Drought Monitor
- The figures are the U.S. Drought Monitor's own statistics (share of area in each category), read from its data service. The categories are theirs, unchanged. This site does not make its own drought assessment.
- The Drought Monitor gives each county a share in each category. A county's category here is the most severe one covering any part of it, with the share it covers. "Weeks" counts the weekly maps in a row, newest first, on which some of the county was at that category or worse.
- A new map is released every Thursday, valid for the Tuesday before. Every figure here carries that valid date. This site reads the new week once, after the Thursday release, and keeps it.
- Counties are matched to the Drought Monitor by their five-digit FIPS code. Connecticut is shown by its nine planning regions, which replaced its eight counties in 2022; the Drought Monitor's county statistics use the same planning regions.
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, droughtmonitor.unl.edu · The official map for Wisconsin · Drought Monitor data tables · drought.gov current conditions · NOAA seasonal drought outlook
Questions
Is Wisconsin in a drought right now?
On the U.S. Drought Monitor valid 13 October 2026, 51.93% of Wisconsin is in drought (D1 to D4) and 57.72% is at least abnormally dry (D0 to D4). 43.5% is in D2 Severe Drought or worse.
Which counties in Wisconsin are in the worst drought?
This week the most severe category in Wisconsin is D4 Exceptional Drought, in Ashland County, Bayfield County, Douglas County, Iron County, Sawyer County, Vilas County.
How is a county's category chosen on this page?
The U.S. Drought Monitor gives the share of each county in each category. This page names the most severe category covering any part of the county, and always says how much of the county it covers.