AXUS73 KAPX 151056
DGTAPX
MIC033-097-221100-

Drought Information Statement
National Weather Service Gaylord MI
656 AM EDT Thu Oct 15 2026

...Severe Drought Conditions For Eastern Upper Michigan...

.SYNOPSIS: Severe Drought Conditions Have Developed Across Parts
of Eastern Upper Michigan.

.DROUGHT INTENSITY AND EXTENT: The following description of 
northern Michigan drought conditions is based on the most recent 
U.S. Drought Monitor published on October 8, 2026.

Drought Category D2...Severe Drought: Crop or pasture losses 
likely... water shortages common. Areas included in drought 
category D2 include parts of Mackinac and Chippewa counties in 
eastern Upper Michigan.

.HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS: After an extended period of above normal
precipitation, rain and snow, this past winter and early spring,
persistently dry conditions have developed across portions of 
eastern Upper Michigan over the last several months. Since May 
2026, observations at Sault Ste Marie show a general -0.5" to 
-1.5" departure from average precipitation each month through the
 summer and early fall. This persistent dryness, coupled with a 
 recent very dry September 2026 (normal for the month is almost 
 4.0", observed precipitation was close to 1.0") has resulted in 
 D1 and D2 drought conditions across Mackinac and Chippewa 
 counties. 

Soil moisture is well below normal across eastern Upper Michigan.
Streamflows on eastern Upper Michigan rivers are running below to
much below normal.
 
.SUMMARY OF IMPACTS: No known impacts at this time.

.LOCAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK: A healthy rain is expected this evening
(Thursday) through Friday, with 0.50" to 1.00" of rain possible,
which may provide some relief. That being said, a quiet and dry 
stretch of weather is expected this weekend into at least the 
middle portions of next week (Oct 19 to Oct 23).

The 6 to 10 day outlook issued by the Climate Prediction Center 
valid for the period of October 20-24, 2026 is calling for a high
likelihood of above normal temperatures...and is leaning toward 
near normal precipitation.

The seasonal drought outlook which is valid from October through 
December 2026 is predicting that drought persists through the end
of the year for portions of the Eastern UP. 

.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE: This product will be updated the week of
October 19, or when significant updates to the drought monitor
occur.

.RELATED WEB SITES: Additional information on current drought
conditions may be found at the following web addresses:

US Drought Monitor: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu
US Drought Information System: https://www.drought.gov
NOAA Drought Page: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Drought

Additional water and river information:

NWS Office of Water Prediction (OWP): https://water.noaa.gov
US Geological Survey (USGS): https://water.usgs.gov
US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): https://www.usace.army.mil

.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The Drought Monitor is a multi-agency effort
involving the National Weather Service and National Centers for 
Environmental Information, the USDA, state and regional center 
climatologists and the National Drought Mitigation Center. 
Information for this statement has been gathered from NWS and FAA
observation sites, state cooperative extension services, the
USDA, USACE and USGS.

.CONTACT INFORMATION: If you have questions or comments about
this Drought Information Statement, please contact:

National Weather Service
8800 Passenheim Road
Gaylord, MI 49735
Phone...989-731-3384
w-apx.webmaster@noaa.gov

$$