Midwest Overview - November 8-14, 2002

The week of November 8-14 was dry for the northwestern two-thirds of the region, with one substantial rain event in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky centered on the 10th and a small clipper system bringing light snow in the northern Midwest on the 13th.  Precipitation totals exceeded one inch in most of the three-state region around the Ohio River (Figure 1), with only these areas receiving normal or above normal amounts for the week.  Most of the western half of the Midwest received less than 50% of normal precipitation for the week (Figure 2), continuing a drying trend in this area.  Temperatures were well above normal for the time of year, especially ahead of the large cyclone on the 10th, when maximum high temperature records were set at Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati, Ohio, and Louisville, Jackson, and London, Kentucky.  For the week, the eastern half of the Midwest was 4-8°F above normal, while most of the western Midwest was a few degrees above normal (Figure 3).  The areas of the Midwest already suffering from dryness in the southern Great Lakes region were not improved this week except at the southern margins of the drought areas in Indiana and Ohio (Figure 4).  Light snow in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin and Michigan (Figure 5) did not bring sufficient moisture to arrest a drying trend in these areas.

A very large severe weather outbreak occurred on November 9-10 that resulted in 36 deaths across the eastern U.S., more than 200 people injured, and hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed.  In the Midwest, a total of 5 people died in northern Ohio in three separate significant tornado strikes.  Injuries and damage were widespread in northeastern Indiana, northern Ohio, and parts of southern Illinois and Kentucky.