Midwest Weekly Highlights - November 15-21, 2017

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Colder for Many

Temperatures were slightly below normal across the eastern half of the Midwest (Figure 1).  Parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan were 1-3°F below normal.  Snowpack in northern Minnesota and the U.P. of Michigan also kept temperatures 2-4°F below normal.  Meanwhile, Missouri was the only state with above-normal temperatures.  Western and southern portions of the state were 1-3°F above normal.
 

Heavy Rain in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio

A storm system on November 17-19 dumped more than an inch of precipitation on Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and parts of Illinois (Figure 2).  Some of the heaviest rainfall occurred in northern Indiana and Ohio, where more than three inches fell.  In most cases, this was two to four times the normal amount (Figure 3). Most of this precipitation fell on November 18 through the morning of November 19 (Figure 4). Some of the heaviest amounts for the period included 4.28 inches near Centerburg, OH (Knox County), 3.76 inches in Fort Wayne, IN (Allen County), 3.75 inches in Huntington, IN (Huntington County) and 3.74 inches near Lima, OH (Allen County).  More than 80 daily precipitation records were broken across the Midwest (Figure 5).  Meanwhile, lake-effect snowfall continued in the U.P. of Michigan (Figure 6).  Two to four inches fell in the western U.P. of Michigan.
 

November 18 Severe Weather and Tornadoes

Strong thunderstorms on November 18 led to more than 40 wind and tornado reports across the Midwest (Figure 7).  Most of these reports came from southern Illinois and Kentucky, where at least five short-lived tornadoes touched down.  Tornadoes near Beaver Dam, KY (Ohio County) and near Guston, KY (Meade County) were both rated EF-1 and caused one injury each.  Straight-line winds also toppled trees and power lines from Missouri through Ohio.

Harvest Remains Behind Schedule

The Fall harvest remains behind the five-year average in all nine Midwest states according to the November 19 NASS Crop Progress Reports (Figure 8).  Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky have completed 90 percent or more of the harvest, while Michigan completed 76 percent.  Ohio and Wisconsin were more than 10 percent behind the five-year average, with nearly a third of Wisconsin still to be harvested.
 

-BJP-