Temperature

Temperatures averaged above normal over the Ohio Valley by 2-4°F (Figure 1). Heading west, temperatures were generally near normal, particularly west of the Mississippi River.

Minimum temperatures were most anomalous over Ohio, where parts of the state averaged 6-7°F above normal for the week (Figure 2). Minimum temperatures were above normal by 1-3°F across central and northern parts of the region. They were slightly above normal from the Mississippi River westward. In Marysville, Ohio, minimum temperatures were at or above 70°F for five consecutive days, July 10-14, for the first time in July since 2016 and the 11th time on record in July since records began in 1917.

Maximum temperatures were 1-3°F above normal across the east (Figure 3). There were some pockets of above-normal maximum temperatures over the Upper Midwest, though much of the region straddled either side of normal. There were some areas with slightly below-normal maximum temperatures in Minnesota’s Arrowhead region, Iowa, and southern Missouri.

Precipitation & Drought

Heavy precipitation was observed through northern Illinois, Iowa, northern Michigan, and eastern Missouri, where 200-300+ percent of normal rainfall fell in various spots (Figure 4). This was not the case everywhere, as much of northern Indiana, Minnesota, and northern Wisconsin observed less than 50 percent of normal precipitation. In Moline, Iowa, over two inches of rainfall was observed July 10-11, making that the 7th wettest two-day period in July on record since records began in 1871. It was also only the second time since 1871 that more than two inches of precipitation fell on consecutive days in July in Moline. By the end of the week, drought conditions had improved across all categories. D0 (abnormally dry) conditions were reported in less than 20 percent of the region by July 15, which is the first time since August 2024 that less than 20 percent of the region was abnormally dry (Figure 5). D1 (moderate drought) affected less than 5% of the region. D2 (severe drought) was also erased from parts of northeastern Illinois.

Severe Weather

There were 273 storm reports this week (Figure 6), 212 of which were wind reports. There were also 12 tornado reports associated with an outbreak in eastern Iowa and western Illinois on July 11. Three tornadoes rose to EF2 magnitude. An EF2 tornado tore a 7.6-mile path through the western part of Davenport, Iowa, on July 11, blowing over 15 RVs at an RV business, some of which were blown 10-15 feet.