January 18-24: Unsettled Weather in the Southern Midwest.

The week of January 18-24 brought heavy precipitation to the southern quarter of the Midwest, but very little rain elsewhere. The boot heel of Missouri and parts of southern Kentucky received more than 3 inches of rain, while much of the northwestern Midwest received no precipitation at all (Figure 19). The Ohio Valley also received above normal precipitation at the northern edge of two major systems that traveled by the region to the south and east (Figure 20). The first system, on the 18th and 19th, also brought cold weather and snow to the southern portion of the Midwest, accounting for most of the snow during the period (Figure 21). Schools were closed across Kentucky on the 18th. Despite starting out at near normal cold winter temperatures, most of the Midwest warmed up strongly during the week, leading to the central Midwest being 7-9°F above normal (Figure 22). Record high temperatures were recorded throughout Iowa on the 22nd, including at Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Quad Cities, Burlington, Waterloo, Mason City, and Des Moines. There was growing concern about the continuing dryness in the western and central Corn Belt, where soils would usually be recharged with moisture by mid-winter. Much of central Iowa is in the abnormally dry category of the U.S. Drought Monitor (Figure 23, National Drought Mitigation Center).