Midwest Weekly Highlights - March 18-24, 2019

---

Near-Normal Temperatures

Most of the Midwest had temperatures within a few degrees of normal during the week (Figure 1).  Areas in the Upper Midwest were slightly above normal while the Ohio River Valley was slightly below normal.  Northern Minnesota was the only area with temperatures more than 3°F above normal.
 

Much Drier

After heavy rain led to snowmelt and flooding during the previous week, precipitation amounts were much lower across the Midwest (Figure 2).  Little to no precipitation fell across most of Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, while southwestern Missouri was the only area with more than half an inch of rain.  This led to most of the region receiving less than half the normal amount for the period (Figure 3).
 

Major Flooding Continues

While rainfall amounts were much lower, major flooding moved down stream along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries (Figure 4).  Major flooding along the Mississippi River was reported from Rock Island, IL (Figure 5, Rock Island County) through Keokuk, IA (Figure 6, Lee County).  Snowmelt in Minnesota also led to flooding on the Mississippi River at St. Paul (Figure 7) and the Minnesota River at Morton ((Figure 8, Renville County).  Along the Missouri River, major flooding slowly receded from record levels at St. Joseph, MO (Figure 9, Buchanan County).  Major flooding also occurred at several more gauges the Missouri River, including a record crest at Waverly, MO (Figure 10, Lafayette County).  Most of the Big Sioux River remained in moderate to major flood stage as well during the week (Figure 11).

Several damage surveys across the region revealed estimated damage from flooding.  In Wisconsin, nearly $2 million in damage to public infrastructure was assessed over a 16 county area.  A total of 762 homes and 13 businesses were affected flooding as well.  Flood damage in Iowa to homes and infrastructure was estimated at $1.6 billion according to Governor Kim Reynolds. President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for 56 Iowa counties for municipalities needing federal assistance.  Individual federal assistance was also available for five Iowa counties.
 

-BJP-