Temperature

Average temperatures were above normal by 3-6°F (Figure 1). Across northern and western Minnesota, temperatures averaged near normal.

Minimum temperatures were above normal across most of the region. Isolated parts of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin observed minimum temperatures that were over 6°F above normal, though much of the region remained in the 3-6°F above normal range (Figure 2). Across far western Minnesota, minimum temperatures were near to slightly below normal.

Maximum temperatures were 4-8°F above normal (Figure 3). Across much of Minnesota, temperatures were near normal. In St. Cloud, Minnesota, the temperature rose to 87°F on April 22, marking the warmest April temperature there since 2004.

Precipitation/Drought

Precipitation was over 200 percent of normal along I-70 stretching from Kansas City, Missouri, to Columbus, Ohio, (Figure 4). There was also significantly above normal precipitation across northwestern Wisconsin and Minnesota’s Arrowhead region. Elsewhere, precipitation was near to slightly below normal for the period.

D0 (abnormally dry) and D1 (moderate drought) both decreased in coverage across the region from April 21 to April 28 (Figure 5). Improvements were made along the Ohio River and across Iowa and Minnesota. Degradations were made in the D2 (severe drought) and D3 (extreme drought) categories across Kentucky and the Missouri Bootheel.

Severe Weather

There were over 600 storm reports this week, which included 489 wind reports, 160 hail reports, and 42 tornado reports (Figure 6). On April 26, large hail up to 2 inches was reported with an outbreak over western Missouri, causing damage to the roofs of several RVs. On April 27, more hail hit Missouri, with hail up to 3.5 inches in size, or the size of tennis balls, reported in Lawrence County. Multiple tornadoes were confirmed across the region on April 27, which included five EF1 tornadoes across Central Illinois alone. The longest EF1 tornado spent 15.5 miles on the ground between Galesville, Illinois, and Mahomet, Illinois. In total, the April 27-28 outbreak brought at least 15 tornadoes to the Midwest, ranging from EF0 to EF1 strength.