Drought in Northern Oconto, Wisconsin

At the closest observation point in Suring, below normal rainfall was first observed in late summer and continued through the fall. The precipitation total for October was 1.08 inches or 38% of normal. The peak in the dry spell occurred from November 1-23 with 0.11 inches recorded, which was only 11% of the monthly total. The Drought Monitor on the 18th indicated all of the northern half of the county designated in Severe Drought (D2). The precipitation at the end of the month only brought the monthly total to only 49% of normal.

The first signs of drought were noted in the late summer and early fall, August to September timeframe, when there were sporadic areas reporting below normal rainfall across northern Wisconsin. The dry conditions expanded and precipitation deficits increased across much of the area in September and continued into October. The peak in the dry spell occurred from November 1-23 when only a few tenths of an inch were recorded. A good majority of the precipitation for the month fell from the 24th through the 30th.