Temperatures

Average temperatures were near normal for most of the region (Figure 1). They were slightly below normal across northern Missouri into Illinois, Indiana, and northwest Ohio. However, larger anomalies were seen over the Upper Midwest, where parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP), Wisconsin, and Minnesota were up to 8°F below normal for the week.

Minimum temperatures were below normal by 2-4°F for areas west of the Mississippi River (Figure 2). East of the Mississippi River, most places were near normal, save eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio where minimum temperatures were 2-4°F above normal.

Maximum temperatures were most anomalous. Across the Upper Midwest, there were areas where maximum temperatures were over 10°F below normal for the week (Figure 3). Iowa saw average temperatures slightly above normal, while much of the Ohio Valley was near to slightly below normal. The coldest temperatures were at the end of the period across Minnesota and Wisconsin, where many spots struggled to reach 60°F, marking some of the coldest June temperatures since 2013. In Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the temperature remained below 60°F for two consecutive days, June 13-14, for the first time in June since 2013. In Minneapolis, the maximum temperature on June 13 was 57°F, which was the coldest maximum temperature there in June since 2013.

Precipitation & Drought

There were several isolated pockets where precipitation was around 200 percent of normal (Figure 4). These areas include central Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin, and central Indiana. In Artichoke Lake, Minnesota, a station observed 2.62 inches of precipitation on June 13, which marked the wettest June day since 2013 and the 6th wettest June day on record since records began in 1917. It was also the first time since 2011 that there were two consecutive days of precipitation greater than or equal to 1 inch—June 12-13. State Road 26, a major roadway through central Indiana, became significantly flooded after the region reported widespread 2-3 inches of precipitation over a less than 24-hour period, with isolated higher totals upward of 6 inches. This caused a sinkhole to open up on a road in Kokomo, Indiana, and multiple water rescues also took place in the area.

As of June 10, drought conditions improved for isolated pockets of the region. D2 (severe drought) was removed from northern Illinois, while D1 (moderate drought) was removed from portions of northeastern Missouri and Illinois (Figure 5). D0 (abnormally dry) also decreased in coverage, particularly across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri.

Severe Weather

There were over 150 storm reports this week. The majority were wind and hail reports. On June 8, severe weather caused hail in Illinois and Missouri, with hail twice the size of a quarter reported in Batavia, Illinois and hail of 2-2.5 inch diameter in La Due, Missouri. On June 11, multiple hail and wind reports were reported in Iowa, with ping pong size hail in Wright County, Iowa and several 70+ mph wind gusts reported across the state.

Three tornadoes were confirmed by NWS in the Cleveland, Ohio area, the most notable being an EF2 on June 9 with estimated peak winds of 115 mph in Erie County, PA that killed two horses and several cows. An EF1 tornado occurred on June 9 in Huron County, Ohio, and an EF0 tornado occurred on the same day in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, both of which caused minor tree and structural damage.