Midwest Weekly Highlights - November 8-14, 2016

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Warm Weather Continues

Above-normal temperatures were once again common across the Midwest during the week (Figure 1).  Very warm temperatures were common across most of Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the U.P. of Michigan, which were 8-15°F above normal.  Maximum temperatures were the main contributor, and were 12-18°F above normal in these areas (Figure 2).  More than a dozen daily maximum temperature records were broken, with many of them occurring on November 11 (Figure 3).  Average temperatures were slightly less above normal farther to the south.  Iowa, southern Wisconsin and Lower Michigan were 5-9°F above normal, while Missouri, Illinois, and northern parts of Indiana and Ohio were 1-5°F above normal.  The Ohio Valley was near normal for the period, with some areas in eastern Kentucky slightly below normal.
 

Dry Fall Weather

Less than an inch of precipitation fell across the entire Midwest during a very dry week (Figure 4).  Southern areas of the region received the most, with western Missouri the wettest area.  Most of Iowa and Minnesota received no precipitation in the period.  The entire region was below normal, except for a small portion of west-central Missouri (Figure 5).  The areas that received rainfall across the Ohio River Valley and Great Lakes had less than half the normal amount (Figure 6).
 

Drought Worsens in Kentucky

Dry and warm conditions were common throughout the fall season so far in Kentucky.  Since October 1, most of the state has received less than half the normal amount of precipitation, while most of southern Kentucky has received less than a quarter of normal (Figure 7).  The Drought Monitor for November 8 had over 93% of Kentucky categorized in drought, with nearly 28% of the state in severe drought (Figure 8).  Conditions worsened as of the November 15 Drought Monitor, with 98% of the state in drought, and over 80% in severe drought (Figure 9).  Most of this drought has formed since October 25, where only a quarter of the state was in drought (Figure 10). Drought was one of the factors in play that helped cause multiple wildfires across eastern Kentucky (Figure 11).
 

-BJP-