Widespread Cold Temperatures

Temperatures averaged below normal for the entire week. In Missouri and Iowa, temperatures averaged as much as 20°F below normal (Figure 1). Elsewhere, 10-15°F below normal was the standard anomaly for average temperatures, with the exception of Michigan, most of which was 5-10°F below normal.

Minimum temperatures were similarly below normal. Most of the Midwest averaged minimum temperatures that were at least 10-15°F below normal, save eastern Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan (Figure 2). In Cherokee, Iowa, a station with records going back to 1921 observed minimum temperatures below -10°F for 4 consecutive days, February 18-21, for only the third time in February since 2000. In Springfield, Missouri, the minimum temperature was below -5°F for three consecutive days, February 19-21, for the first time in February since 1933 and third time since records began in 1888. For many observing stations in the Midwest, this was the coldest stretch of minimum temperatures in February since February 2021.

Maximum temperatures averaged as much as 20-25°F below normal this week west of the Mississippi River (Figure 3). Most of the region averaged anywhere from 10-20°F below normal. St. Louis, Missouri had three consecutive days of maximum temperatures below 20°F for only the second time in February since the year 2000, February 18-20. In Sioux City, Iowa, maximum temperatures remained below 10°F for 4 consecutive days, February 16-19, for the second time in February since 1989. The last stretch of maximum temperatures this below normal in February was in 2021 for much of the region.

Kentucky Flooding/Drought Update

Most of the precipitation came early in the period, and it was largely confined to the Ohio Valley. In parts of southeastern Indiana, Ohio, and much of Kentucky, precipitation was well over 200-300 percent of normal (Figure 4). On February 15, Paducah, Kentucky had its 2nd wettest February day since records began in 1937 with 4.54 inches of precipitation. In Bowling Green, Kentucky, a station with records going back to 1893 observed 4.23 inches of precipitation, which was the 2nd largest 24-hour precipitation in February on record for that station. Flooding covered much of the state, particularly the eastern Kentucky Coalfields, where at least 10 fatalities were confirmed in the week following the storm. Mudslides were reported in mountainous eastern Kentucky, while light snowfall blanketed parts of western Kentucky in the days that followed.

The Drought Monitor was updated on February 18, and there were minimal changes (Figure 5). Precipitation was not found where it was needed most, particularly in the Upper Midwest, so changes were minimal. Some D0 and D1 conditions (abnormally dry & moderate drought, respectively) were removed from Illinois.