Midwest Weekly Highlights - October 15-21, 2014

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Widespread Below Normal Precipitation

Many locations in the western Midwest did not receive any precipitation during the third week of October (Figure 1). On the other hand, some areas in the east (Upper Michigan and northeast Ohio) received over 1.5" of precipitation. The rest of the region fell somewhere in between, but a majority of the region experienced below normal precipitation for the week (Figure 2). The areas with above normal precipitation were mainly in Michigan, Ohio, eastern Kentucky, and northern Illinois. No snow fell during the third week of October (Figure 3), which is actually 0.2" to 1.4" below normal for portions of the upper Midwest for this time of year (Figure 4).
 

Mix of Above, Near, and Below Normal Temperatures

The third week of October saw a mix of above, near, and below normal temperatures across the Midwest (Figure 5). Above normal temperatures ranging from +1°F to +7°F were mainly in the northwest across Minnesota, Iowa, and western Wisconsin. Portions of Michigan and Ohio were also a few degrees above normal. Temperatures were 1°F to 3°F below normal across much of Kentucky, Upper Michigan, and portions of southern Lake Michigan. The rest of the region was within a degree of normal.

The departure maps for maximum and minimum temperature tell a much different story. Maximum temperature had a clear west to east split between above normal (in the west) and below normal (in the east) (Figure 6). Areas in Minnesota experienced daily high temperatures that were 7°F to 8°F above normal, while areas of eastern Kentucky were the opposite, 6°F to 7°F below normal. While the eastern Midwest experienced daily high temperatures that were below normal, overnight low temperatures were above normal in this same region (Figure 7).
 

Growing Season Update

Due to freezing temperatures, the growing season has effectively ended in much of the Upper Midwest, while it continues in areas further south that have yet to receive a hard freeze (28°F) (Figure 8). Currently, all nine Midwest states are behind the 2009-2013 average for harvesting corn and soybeans (as of October 19th). Iowa and Minnesota are 34% and 31% behind the 5-year average for harvesting corn, while Michigan and Indiana are 37% and 31% behind the 5-year average for harvesting soybeans, respectively. It was the rainy weather at the start of October that delayed harvest throughout the region. However, farmers have recently been able to get back into the field thanks to drier weather over the past week.

Overall, corn and soybean yields are expected to be good in the Midwest this year. According to Brownfield Ag News, the Illinois corn crop is projected to break records at 2.3 billion bushels this fall and the latest guess is that the soybean crop will be more than 551 million bushels.

-MW-
Extension Climatologist for Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Midwestern Regional Climate Center