April 8-14, 2024

Temperatures

Average temperatures were above normal across the Midwest. South of I-80, average temperatures were 4-8°F above normal, while north of the interstate and through much of the Upper Midwest they were as much as 12°F above normal (Figure 1).

Minimum temperatures were also above normal for the week. They were 3-5°F above normal in Iowa and Missouri, and 5-10°F above normal for much of the rest of the region (Figure 2). A minimum temperature of 63°F was the warmest on record for April 14 in Moline, Illinois. In Rockford, Illinois, a minimum temperature of 59°F was both a daily record and the warmest April low since 2017.

Maximum temperatures were the most anomalous this week. There was a steep gradient in temperature departures from south to north, with many places along the Ohio River only 1-3°F above normal (Figure 3). Along I-80, temperatures were generally 8-12°F above normal, and heading north and west, temperatures were up to 15°F above normal. Long Prairie, Minnesota, a station with over 100 years of records, recorded a maximum temperature of 84°F on April 13, which was the warmest April temperature at that location since 2009. Des Moines, Iowa recorded a temperature of 88°F on April 14, the warmest April temperature since 2012.

Precipitation

Precipitation totals were higher in the east, across Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan, and lower in the west (Figure 4). Much of Ohio and Indiana received over 200 percent of normal precipitation for the second week in a row. Many locations across the Ohio River Basin already received more than their normal precipitation for the entire month by the end of the week. As of April 14, Indianapolis, Indiana had received 6.02 inches of precipitation, which would make it the second wettest first two weeks of April in over 100 years of records. Toledo, Ohio had its wettest first two weeks of April on record with 4.85 inches of precipitation, as did Youngstown, Ohio with 5.32 inches.

Meanwhile, parts of Iowa and Missouri received no precipitation this week, including Kansas City, Missouri, which saw less than 50 percent of normal precipitation for the first two weeks of April. In Iowa, a gradient exists from east to west—Iowa City had its 4th wettest first half of April in 131 years of records with 3.50 inches of precipitation, whereas Sioux City only had 0.41 inches.

There were 21 severe weather reports this week, including 11 hail reports, 2 tornado reports, 7 wind reports and 1 high wind report (Figure 5). On April 12, an EF1 tornado with winds of 90 MPH damaged some buildings in Mason County, Kentucky. All hail reports were localized to northeast Ohio on April 14. A National Weather Service employee reported dime to quarter size hail in Geauga County, and golf ball size hail was reported in Trumbull County, Ohio, just north of Youngstown. On April 12, an EF1 tornado with winds of 90 MPH damaged some buildings in Mason County, Kentucky.

Precipitation this month has thus far been confined to eastern and southern parts of the region where drought conditions were already largely nonexistent. By April 9, the drought monitor reflected this, with continued removal of the abnormally dry category (D0) from Kentucky, and no drought over Ohio and most of Indiana (Figure 6). Drought has persisted over parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, with slight expansions of Moderate Drought (D1) over southeastern Missouri.