2025 Annual Report – Midwestern Regional Climate Center

Temperature

The average temperature for the Midwest in 2025 was 49.9°F, which was 0.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal. Final rankings indicate 2025 was tied for the 15th warmest year on record (dating back to 1895) for the Midwest (Figure 1). Across the region, annual temperatures were near normal for most locations in the east and near to slightly above normal in the west (Figure 2). Statewide annual average temperatures ranged from 1.4°F above normal in Iowa to 0.2°F above normal in Ohio. There were no notable statewide annual temperature records.

Selected Station-Level Records:

• Indianapolis, IN – Greatest number of consecutive days at or above 70°F with 133 days (154 years of data)
• Springfield, IL – 2nd greatest number of consecutive days at or above 70°F with 142 days (145 years of data)
• Dayton, OH – Tied for the 2nd greatest number of consecutive days at or above 70°F with 129 days (130 years of data)
• Sibley, IA – Longest frost-free season on record at 185 consecutive days above freezing
• Pine River, MN – Longest frost-free season on record at 187 consecutive days above freezing
• Waterloo, IA – Longest frost-free season on record at 191 consecutive days above freezing
• Rochester, MN – Longest frost-free season on record at 191 consecutive days above freezing
• Sac City, IA – Tied for the longest frost-free season on record at 198 consecutive days above freezing
• Okland, IA – Longest frost-free season on record at 205 consecutive days above freezing
• Bowling Green, KY – Longest frost-free season on record at 235 consecutive days above freezing

Precipitation

The annual precipitation for the Midwest was 35.27 inches, which was 2.69 inches below the 1991-2020 normal, or 93 percent of normal (Figure 1). Precipitation for most of the region was 75-125 percent of normal for the year (Figure 3). Notable exceptions include central Kentucky and west-central Minnesota, where annual precipitation was 125-150 percent of normal, and central Illinois and northern Indiana, which had annual precipitation 50-75 percent of normal. Statewide precipitation totals ranged from 7.10 inches above normal in Kentucky to 7.82 inches below normal in Illinois. Final rankings indicate Kentucky had its 10th wettest year on record.

Selected Station-Level DRY Precipitation Records:

• Fort Wayne, IN – Driest year on record (118 years of data)
• Champaign, IL – 2nd driest year on record (134 years of data)
• Logansport, IN – 3rd driest year on record (112 years of data)
• Sidell, IL – 3rd driest year on record (75 years of data)
• Duluth, MN – 5th driest year on record (151 years of data)
• Park Rapids, MN – 6th driest year on record (113 years of data)
• Winamac, IN – 6th driest year on record (88 years of data)

Selected Station-Level WET Precipitation Records:

• Morris, MN – Wettest year on record (133 years of data)
• Danville, KY – Wettest year on record (82 years of data)
• Petoskey, MI – 2nd wettest year on record (70 years of data)
• Artichoke Lake, MN – 2nd wettest year on record (103 years of data)
• Canby, MN – 3rd wettest on record (82 years of data)
• Bowling Green, KY – 5th wettest on record (83 years of data)
• Tell City, IN – 6th wettest on record (77 years of data)

Snowfall for the 2025 calendar year was above normal in the southern half of the region and a mix of above and below normal in the northern half. Lake-affected regions received 100 to 200 inches (Figure 4), which was near to slightly above normal (Figure 5). Notable deficits occurred across far northern Minnesota, southern Minnesota, and southern Wisconsin, where annual snowfall was 25-75 percent of normal. Throughout the lower Midwest, annual snowfall totals ranged from 10 to 40 inches, which was 100-300 percent of normal, with localized areas in Kentucky 500-1000 percent of normal.

Selected Station-Level SNOW Records:

• Louisville, KY – 7th snowiest calendar year on record (140 years of data)
• Cincinnati, OH – 7th snowiest calendar year on record (107 years of data)
• Marshall, MN – 6th least snowy calendar year on record (69 years of data)

Drought

The year started with drought and abnormal dryness widespread across the upper Midwest, with isolated areas of drought and abnormal dryness across the lower Midwest (Figure 6). Spring wetness provided some relief, and by late April 2025, 70 percent of the Midwest was free of drought or dryness (Figure 7). Drought and dryness remained steady through spring and early summer, then conditions further improved into mid-summer. By late July, 91 percent of the region was free of drought and dryness (Figure 8). Conditions rapidly declined from south to north in August (Figure 9) and September (Figure 10). By late September, drought was widespread across the lower Midwest and Michigan. Drought intensified along an axis from southwest Missouri to northwest Ohio during the fall, while conditions improved in Kentucky, which was free of drought or dryness by early November (Figure 11). Drought and dryness expanded in coverage across the upper Midwest during the fall as well. By year’s end, drought and dryness persisted throughout the Mississippi River Basin and Great Lakes, while most of the Ohio River Basin maintained ample wetness. Overall, 68 percent of the Midwest was in drought or experiencing abnormal dryness (Figure 12). Extreme (D3) drought, which took hold in October, lingered in portions of east-central Illinois, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio.