Temperature Transition

A warm air mass kept temperatures above normal for the first half of the week before more seasonable temperatures arrived late in the week. Northern regions went from high temperatures in the 70s on October 18 to high temperatures in the 40s by October 22. However, the warmth dominated overall with average temperatures for the week above average for everywhere except Iowa, which had near normal temperatures (Figure 1).

First Freeze Status Update

By October 24, the majority of locations across the upper Midwest had achieved the first 32°F freeze of the fall (Figure 2) . However, freezing temperatures were absent in the southern Midwest with most locations in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, southern Michigan, and Ohio about 1-3 weeks behind the historical (1981-2010) median first freeze date (Figure 3).

Mostly Dry

Most of the Midwest received less than 1 inch of precipitation this week, with some areas in Missouri and Illinois receiving over 2 inches (Figure 4). Individual weather station reports in northern and southwestern Missouri ranged from 2-4” of rainfall this week. Isolated location throughout central Illinois reported up to 4.5” of rainfall. The driest locations included Kentucky and northern Minnesota where precipitation was 0-10 percent of normal (Figure 5)

Harvest Progress Update

As of October 24, corn harvest was 16-28 percent ahead of the 5-year average across the upper Midwest, 5-6 percent ahead in Missouri and Illinois, and at or below average across the Ohio River Valley (Figure 6). Soybean harvest was divided, with eastern states 2-10 percent behind the 5-year average and western states 2-14 percent ahead (Figure 7). Sugarbeet harvest was 15 percent behind the 5-year average due to warm temperatures throughout October.

Severe Weather on October 24

A strong storm system moved across the Midwest on October 24 bringing tornadoes and severe wind to Missouri and Illinois (Figure 8). Twenty-three tornado reports occurred in the region, including two EF-3 storms that each had one associated injury reported (Figure 9) .