Midwest Overview - January 1-7, 2003

The new year started in an active pattern, with two low pressure systems affecting the region during the first three days. The first storm was leaving the Ohio Valley on the 1st, bringing rain to Indiana, Ohio, and Arkansas. The second followed close behind on January 2nd and 3rd, taking a more southerly path through Arkansas before turning northeastward. These storms brought most of the precipitation to the Midwest during the first week of January (Figure 1), soaking the Ohio Valley with more than an inch of rain, while leaving the drought stricken areas to the north and west well below normal in precipitation for the week (Figure 1a). The second storm brought most of the snow for the January 1-7 period in the Midwest (Figure 2), although a clipper system dragging through the northern Midwest did bring a few inches of snow to the Great Lakes region on the 4th and 5th. Toward the end of the period, a very strong push of warm air entered the region from the Great Plains, leading to the week being up to 20°F warmer than normal in the northwestern Midwest while remaining near normal in the southeastern Midwest (Figure 3). Many temperature records were set in the region on January 7. The unseasonable warmth further compounded the effects of the snow drought in the northern Midwest, bringing about a major expansion and intensification of drought and dryness in the Midwest (Figure 4), National Drought Mitigation Center).

The storm on the 2nd and 3rd started our with a very substantial snow shield moving through Missouri just north of St. Louis (Figure 5, U of Illinois Dept. Of Atmospheric Science). However, there was a lull in snowfall over Illinois as the system temporarily became moisture starved. A second upper level disturbance raced ahead to Indiana just as some moisture started arriving, and moderate snow resumed there and extended eastward (Figure 6). Eventually, this system turned into a major winter storm in the Northeast, having had only a mild impact on the Midwest. By the end of the week, almost all the snow that fell with this storm had melted due to spectacularly warm air entering the region from the west. The maximum temperatures on the 7th exceeded 45°F in much of the northwestern Midwest, and 50°F in much southern Minnesota, Iowa, and northwestern Missouri (Figure 7). The maximum temperatures for the day exceeded normal by 30-35°F in the western Midwest on the 7th (Figure 8). A record high temperature of 52°F was recorded in Minneapolis, MN, 7 degrees higher than the previous record for the date. In combination with the snow drought, the conditions allowed a local golf course to open for the first time ever in January. New high temperature records were set at more than 30 locations with lengthy climate records in the state of Minnesota. Unfortunately, a person lost their life by driving onto ice that was too thin and weak in Duluth, MN, breaking through, and drowning. This brought to eight the total of thin-ice-related deaths this season in Minnesota, which is already above normal for the cold season despite four months of hazard remaining. Many winter festivals have been cancelled or altered to date, and most of Minnesota’s 100,000 registered snowmobiles sit idle this month, causing revenue loss to the winter tourism industry. Record highs were also set on the 7th at 10 locations in Iowa, including Des Moines, and in 5 locations in Wisconsin. Agricultural extension agents in Missouri, where drought is most severe in the Midwest, encouraged homeowners to water their lawns and vulnerable trees and shrubs during the warm spell to prevent drought damage.