February 8-14: Dry and Warm Conditions Continue.

During the week of February 8-14, only one strong synoptic system passed through the region, on the 10th and 11th. However, since this low did not tap Gulf of Mexico moisture, precipitation was quite light for these days and for the week (Figure 12). Most of Iowa, southern Minnesota, and southern Wisconsin received above normal amounts of precipitation, but this amounted to less than 0.75 inches of water equivalent. A second band from Indiana through Ohio also received about 0.5 inches of rain from the storm. The rest of the Midwest was well below normal in precipitation, especially in the southern portion of the region (Figure 13). This low did bring 3-6 inches of snow to parts of Iowa and Minnesota, and the strong wind in its wake triggered lake effect snows on the southern shore of Lake Superior, accounting for most of the snow during the week (Figure 14). As has been the case for most of the winter, temperatures were well above normal. The northwestern Midwest was 12-16°F above normal for the week, the southern tier was 2-6°F above normal, and most of the Midwest was 8-12°F above normal (Figure 15). The precipitation in Iowa and southern Minnesota was not sufficient to reduce abnormally dry conditions, and more of northern Minnesota was classified as abnormally dry during the week (Figure 16, National Drought Mitigation Center). There was no severe winter weather during the period, but there were some strong winds in the upper Midwest as the low pressure center moved out of the region on the 12th. Gusts of up to 60 mph caused some minor power outages in the northern Midwest.