January 1-7, 2024

New Year, More Warmth

Temperatures started off above normal in the new year. This was especially the case for the Upper Midwest, where areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin averaged 11-13°F above normal (Figure 1). Areas along the Ohio River were near normal, while the most southerly areas, like southern Kentucky, came in slightly below normal. In Minnesota, the statewide average temperature for the week was 14.3°F above normal; this was followed by Wisconsin, with an average temperature of 12.6°F above normal for the week. The state with the least anomalous average temperature was Kentucky with an average temperature just 0.1°F above normal. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio all recorded average temperatures that were above normal, with departures of 6.7°F, 3.9°F, 10.2°F, 7.8°F, 4.1°F, and 2.6°F, respectively.

Maximum temperatures were generally 10-15°F above normal for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and northern Illinois (Figure 2). As was the case with average temperature, the magnitude of minimum temperatures quickly declined heading south through the region. Near-normal minimum temperatures were commonplace for the week along the Ohio River and southward into Kentucky. In Minnesota, where minimum temperatures were 10-20°F above normal on January 2, Duluth, Hibbing, International Falls, and Red Lake Falls had top five warmest minimum temperatures. By the end of the week, some anomalous warmth spread elsewhere outside of the Upper Midwest. Muskegon, Michigan tied for the 5th warmest minimum temperature on January 7, with an observation of 33°F, 11°F above normal. Zanesville, Ohio had a minimum temperature of 34°F on January 7, which was tied for the 5th warmest on record.

The anomalies were not as strong for daily maximum temperatures. Average maximum temperature departures were anywhere from 5-10°F above normal in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, to 1-3°F below normal in Kentucky and southern Ohio (Figure 3). A record high temperature of 32°F in International Falls on January 1 was tied for the 5th warmest on record in over 100 years of records. Red Lake Falls also tied for the 5th warmest on record, with a maximum temperature of 34°F, which was 18°F above normal.

Precipitation Deficits to Start The Year

Precipitation was below normal across the entire Midwest to start the year. Even in Minnesota, where some locations had their wettest December on record, the first week of the new year was generally drier than normal, with precipitation only about 5-15 percent of normal in the Twin Cities (Figure 4). Michigan, northwestern Ohio, northeastern Indiana, and much of Missouri and Iowa were other areas where most places started off the year with less than 25 percent of normal precipitation. In most of the Midwest, precipitation was generally between 25-60 percent of normal.

Southeastern Minnesota, much of northern Wisconsin, and a small part of western Wisconsin observed no measurable precipitation for the first 7 days of year. In La Crosse, Wisconsin, this was only the 4th time in over 100 years of recordkeeping that the first 7 days of the year recorded no precipitation. In Rochester, Minnesota, there was also no precipitation during the first week of the year, which was the 8th time in 100+ years of records.

The new year did not start with much snow. Snowfall mirrored precipitation as a whole, with only the St. Louis area, central Illinois, parts of Indiana, and northern Minnesota experiencing snowfall above 100 percent of normal (Figure 5). A low pressure system that quickly tracked through the region January 5-6 arrived with enough moisture and cold air simultaneously to drop nearly three inches of snow across Greater St. Louis. A band of heavy snow set up parallel to I-55, dropping the first 1”+ snowfall of the season in Springfield, Illinois.

Limited Drought Changes

There were limited changes in drought categories through January 2. There were little to no changes from the end of December into the beginning of January due to little precipitation across the region. D3 conditions (extreme drought) in Iowa did not improve nor degrade any more (Figure 6). Slight expansions of D1 conditions (moderate drought) were made across western Ohio due to continued lack of precipitation across the Ohio Valley.