December 1-5, 2000

During the period December 1 through 5, two light precipitation snow events occurred in the Midwest. While the total amount of precipitation was quite limited, especially in the southern portions of the region, some disruption of travel through northern airport hubs has occurred. The more significant widespread snow producer arrived in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa on December 1, and proceeded to travel across the entire Midwest over the next two days. Areas in Iowa accumulated 4 to 6 inches of snow, but the low accelerated across Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, bringing only a few inches of snow to a 100 mile-wide band through these states. A strong but very dry frontal boundary passed through the Midwest on December 5, bringing snow mostly to the Great Lakes lake-effect regions. The snowfall total for the period reached 8 inches in southwestern Minnesota, which experienced both events, but was generally less than 6 inches elsewhere (Figure 1).

The December 1-5 period was cold in the southern Midwest, where temperatures in Kentucky reached 10°F below normal, while it was near normal in the northern Midwest (Figure 2). All this changed on December 5, when the strong frontal system mentioned earlier cooled the region substantially. Low temperatures on the 5th reached well below freezing in the entire region, and well below zero in Minnesota. To compound matters, strong winds made the wind chill factor dive to -40 or more in some places. December 1 of this week marked the beginning of climatological winter, and it arrived right on time.