Drought — Portage, Wisconsin

2023-10-01 to 2023-10-16 · Portage, Wisconsin

Event narrative

Severe Drought (D2) was confined to the far southern portion of the county along the Waushara County line with the remainder of the county in Moderate Drought (D0) through the middle of the month. Showers and thunderstorms brought heavy rain to the region on the 12th and 13th, with Stevens Point reporting 1.73 inches. By the 17th, the entire county was classified in Moderate Drought (D1). Another round of heavy rain from 24th through the 27th brought 5.42 inches of rain to Stevens Point. By the end of the month, Portage County was no longer designated in any category of drought. For the month, Stevens Point reported 8.34 inches of rain (305% of normal), which also established the wettest October on record. The old record was 6.85 inches set in 1900.

Wider weather episode

Drought conditions that developed during the summer continued into the fall. Severe Drought (D2) continued through the middle of the month across far southern sections of Portage and Waupaca counties, and across the western third of Winnebago County. Showers and thunderstorms brought heavy rain to the region on the 12th and 13th with more rain later in the month. By the 17th, Severe Drought (D2) was no longer reported.

The much needed rainfall brought significant improvement by the 31st where Waupaca and Portage counties were no longer classified in any category of drought. In Winnebago County, Moderate Drought (D1) continued into November.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1143792. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.