Midwest Overview - January 2004

January 2004 was cooler and somewhat wetter than normal, with some significant snow as compared to the last few winters. The Midwest had its 44th wettest January, although the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin were slightly below normal. Heavier precipitation totals of 3-5 inches fell in the southern Midwest and Ohio Valley (Figure 1), while less than 50% of normal precipitation fell in the drought areas of southeastern Minnesota (Figure 2). Snowfall was especially pronounced in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Lower Michigan, where 50-100 inches of snow fell (Figure 3). Houghton in the UP and Gaylord in northern Lower Michigan set records for January snowfall of 112.0 inches and 73.9 inches, respectively. However, large portions of southern Minnesota, central and southern Wisconsin, and Illinois were well below normal in snowfall for the month (Figure 4). Snow cover was widespread at the end of the month (Figure 5), enhancing the likelihood of continuing cold into February. January was close to normal in the southwestern half of the region, due to a very cold end of the month offsetting earlier warmth. However, the zone near the Great Lakes was strongly below normal for the whole month (Figure 6), corresponding to the area of enhanced snowfall. The Midwest as a whole had its 29th coolest January since 1895, and snowy Michigan had its 15th coldest January. Some amelioration of drought occurred in western Iowa due to heavy snow (Figure 7, National Drought Mitigation Center), although drought status in northwestern Missouri and southeastern Minnesota did not improve this month.