Temperature

The average July temperature for the Midwest was 74.9°F, which was 2.2°F above the 1991-2020 normal (Figure 1). Temperatures across the region went from near normal in the northwest, warming to up to 3°F above normal in the southeast (Figure 2). Statewide temperatures ranged from 0.8°F above normal in Minnesota to 3.3°F above normal in Indiana and Kentucky (Figure 1). Across the upper Midwest, temperatures were near to above normal to start and end the month, with a mid-month cool down that brought a wide swath of temperatures 2-4°F below normal. Conversely, across the lower Midwest, temperatures were persistently warm for the entire month, with many locations seeing a top 10 warmest July (Figure 3). Overnight low temperatures were notably warm (4-6°F above normal) across the southeastern half of the region (Figure 4), with many long-running weather stations reporting their warmest July low temperatures on record (Figure 5). Louisville had 41 consecutive days (June 21 to July 31) where the low temperature was at or above 70°F, which exceeded the previous record (for any month) set in 1935 by 6 days. Bowling Green, Kentucky, had 29 consecutive days (July 3 to July 31) with low temperatures at or above 70°F, which was the 2nd longest streak on record (for any month) dating back to 1893. Also notable was the persistent humidity across the central and southern Midwest throughout the month. Daily average dew points across the south-central Midwest were 71-75°F for most of July. Moline, Illinois, had a record-setting 49 consecutive days (June 12 to July 30) with dew point temperatures at or above 65°F. Champaign, Illinois, had a record-setting 29 consecutive days (July 3 to July 31) with dew point temperatures at or above 70°F. Starting mid-month, high humidity combined with high temperatures brought a lengthy stretch of dangerously high heat index values across the south-central Midwest. Murray (in western Kentucky) and Sikeston (in southeast Missouri) both had 10 consecutive days with heat index values at or over 110°F. The heatwave reached peak intensity on July 28 with widespread heat index values of 110-120°F across Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky before a cold front brought relief to the area on July 31.

Precipitation

July precipitation totaled 5.27 inches for the Midwest, which was 1.17 inches above normal, or 129 percent of normal (Figure 1). Final rankings indicate July 2025 was the 8th wettest July on record. Precipitation was near or above normal across the entire region, with a wide swath of 200-300 percent of normal precipitation centered over Iowa (Figure 6). Statewide precipitation totals ranged from 0.38 inches below normal in Kentucky to 4.58 inches above normal in Iowa (Figure 1). Final rankings indicate Iowa had its 2nd wettest July on record. Numerous locations in central and eastern Iowa and northwest Missouri had 10-12 inches of rainfall in July, including Des Moines (Iowa), New Hampton (Iowa), Manchester (Iowa), Marshall (Missouri), Pleasant Hill (Missouri), and Carrollton (Missouri). While most of the region had ample wetness, isolated areas throughout the region had notably dry conditions. July was 5th driest in north-central Wisconsin, 10th driest in far southwest Missouri, and 8th driest in far eastern Ohio (Figure 7).

Drought

Overall, about 2.5 percent of the Midwest was in drought and 6.5 percent was classified as abnormally dry according to the U.S. Drought Monitor in late July (Figure 8). Affected areas were isolated around the southern Lake Michigan area, central Michigan, and extreme northwest Minnesota.