Temperatures

Temperatures were very cold for the final week of the month. Average temperatures were generally 15°F below normal (Figure 1).

Minimum temperatures were generally at least 15°F below normal for much of the region (Figure 2). Some parts of the region were over 20°F below normal, while other areas—like southern Kentucky—were 10-12°F below normal. In Springfield, Missouri, temperatures dropped to -11°F on January 26, making it the coldest temperature in January in Springfield since 2014. Similarly, in Cleveland, Ohio, temperatures dropped to -10°F on January 30, making it the coldest January temperature since 2014.

Maximum temperatures were roughly 15°F below normal for a large swath of the region (Figure 3). Isolated areas, like western Iowa, were slightly less anomalous at roughly 10°F below normal.

Wind Chill Temperatures

Cold air and wind combined to make it feel significantly colder than the air temperature. For many locations, these were the coldest wind chills in over five years. Chicago, Illinois, saw wind chills as low as -36°F on January 23, the coldest since 2019. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, wind chills bottomed out at -47°F below on January 23, also the lowest since 2019. Madison, Wisconsin, observed a wind chill of -41°F on January 23, also the lowest since 2019.

Precipitation/Drought

Precipitation was most plentiful south of I-70. In much of Kentucky, precipitation was 150 to 200 percent of normal (Figure 4). Totals dropped off heading north, with only 50 to 75 percent of normal precipitation for the week across Missouri, central Illinois, and northern Indiana. Across much of the Upper Midwest, precipitation was nearly nonexistent. The exception was Michigan, where snowbelt locations received near to above normal precipitation in the form of lake effect snow.

The January 27 U.S. Drought Monitor saw little changes from the prior week. D3 (extreme drought) and D2 (severe drought) remained unchanged (Figure 5). Slight improvements in D0 (abnormally dry) and D1 (moderate drought) were made across southern Kentucky.

January 24-26 Snowstorm

A large swath of the country—from the Great Plains to the Northeast—observed accumulating snowfall from January 24-26. The storm was noteworthy for the extent of the country affected. It took a more southerly track, bringing significant snowfall to the southern Midwest. Over a foot of snow fell in parts of southern Indiana and Ohio (Figure 6). In Columbus, Indiana, a station with records dating back to 1893 recorded 8.6 inches of snowfall, the 4th-largest January single-day snowfall on record and the largest since 1996. Significant ice accumulation occurred in Kentucky, where much of the state received 0.5 to 0.75 inches of ice. As temperatures fell well below freezing following the storm, frozen soils triggered frost quakes across parts of Kentucky.