July 8-14, 2023

Near-to-Below-Normal Temperatures

Temperatures were near to below normal across the Midwest this week (Figure 1) . Statewide average temperatures ranged from 0.4°F below normal in Ohio to 4.6°F below normal in Minnesota. Minimum temperatures were near normal in the east to more than 8°F below normal in the west (Figure 2). Maximum temperature departures were of less magnitude for most of the Midwest, with exception to Minnesota and Michigan (Figure 3). As a result, there were over 150 daily low minimum and maximum temperature records that were broken or tied across the Midwest; most of which, were concentrated in the western Midwest (Figure 4).

Highly Variable Rainfall

Rain was highly variable as locations saw 2 to 400 percent of normal precipitation this week (Figure 5) . Statewide precipitation totals ranged from 0.56 inches in Minnesota to 1.49 inches in Iowa, which were 67 percent of normal and 143 percent of normal, respectively. Central and eastern Michigan measured 1 to over 4 inches of rain (Figure 6). The National Weather Service Grand Rapids office’s tweet reported that 4.67 inches of rain fell in Laingsburg, Michigan from July 12-13. Trent Ford, Illinois State Climatologist, tweeted that Oswego, Illinois also measured over 4 inches of rain during this event. Most areas measured at least 0.5 inches of rain, but nearly every Midwestern state had an area with less than 0.5 inches of rain. There were 82 daily precipitation records broken or tied this week (Figure 7) .

US Drought Monitor Update

Drought conditions worsened in Missouri, Minnesota, and Wisconsin as indicated by the July 11 US Drought Monitor (Figure 8) . The Extreme Drought (D3) in central Missouri degraded to Exceptional Drought (D4) and the Extreme Drought (D3) in southern Wisconsin expanded as a result of lower rain totals this week. Despite the persistence and expansion of drought in the west, conditions slowly improved in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Storm Reports

There were over 500 preliminary storm reports for a second week in a row, forty of which were preliminary tornadoes that occurred in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan (Figure 9). A localized tornado outbreak occurred in northeast Illinois on July 12, where there were 13 confirmed tornadoes. Three were rated EF-1 and the other 10 were rated EF-0. The Burr Ridge to Stickney EF-1 tornado had estimated winds of 110 mph, a max width of 150 yards, and resulted in one injury. Damaging winds extended from Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan. On July 13, Clay County, Minnesota, measured hail stones that were up to 3 inches in diameter, resulting in property damage. Additional weak tornadoes occurred in Illinois and Michigan on July 14 causing uprooted trees and downed power lines.