Below Normal Temperatures in Upper Midwest, Above Normal Temperatures in the Ohio River Valley

The upper Midwest experienced below normal temperatures and the Ohio River Valley observed above normal temperatures this week (Figure 1). Minnesota was coldest where average temperatures were in excess of 2°F below normal. Saint Louis County, Minnesota recorded an average temperature of 49.9°F, which was 7.6°F below normal for the week. The warmest area was centered over Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Van Wert County, Ohio had the warmest temperatures (4.1°F above normal). Maximum (Figure 2) and minimum temperatures (Figure 3) followed similar trends. Low temperatures were chilly in the Upper Midwest. The Gaylord, Michigan National Weather Service Office Tweeted on June 4 that they had a low of 37°F with frost on their roof.

Variable Precipitation across the Midwest

Highly variable precipitation occurred across the Midwest (Figure 4). The heaviest precipitation fell in the western part of the Midwest, where several locations received over 200 percent of normal precipitation (Figure 5). Henry County, Missouri recorded 4.91 inches of rain (3.65 inches above normal). Dennis Todey, Director of the Midwest Climate Hub, Tweeted that up to 6 inches of precipitation fell northwest of Des Moines, Iowa. Their single-day maximum total was 4.48 inches, which occurred on June 1st. Most of the Midwest saw greater than an inch of precipitation, except for west-central Indiana, east-central Illinois, central-northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Many of these areas saw 0-50% of normal precipitation. Streamflows in west-central Indiana and east-central Illinois were running below normal due to the reduced precipitation (Figure 6). Many of the streamflows in Minnesota were above normal from previous precipitation events.

Storm Events

There were 2 tornado, 21 hail, and 112 wind preliminary storm reports this week. An EF-2 tornado occurred in Jackson County, Missouri with a path length of 9 miles and a maximum width of 200 yards. Fortunately, there were no fatalities or injuries with this tornado. Damage to homes, trees, and structures was reported. Another EF-1 tornado occurred in Jackson County, Missouri with damage to structures observed. Gentry and Howard Counties in Missouri saw 2 inch diameter hail on June 7. Wind reports occurred on June 1, 5, 6, and 7. On June 1, Portage County, Ohio had a 70-mph wind gust. On June 7, Cass and Union Counties in Iowa reported wind gusts in excess of 65 mph with damage to trees, powerlines, and structures.