Midwest Weekly Highlights - January 1-10, 2007

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Warm Warm Warm

The first week of the New Year started out warm with above average temperatures, and a number of locations set new temperature records. Temperature departures this week ranged from 18 to 20°F above normal across northern Minnesota eastward into extreme northern Wisconsin, and most locations across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio were some 12 to 18°F above normal (Figure 1). The coolest areas this week were found across southern Missouri, southern Illinois, and much of Kentucky, though departures here were still roughly 10°F above normal for this time of year. Record warmth was obvious across the Midwest, and here is a summary of the new record maximum temperatures this week:

Date	Location	New Record	Old Record & Year
January 3	Eau Claire, WI	44°F	44°F, 1998
	International Falls, MN	41°F	38°F, 1984
	Marquette, MI	41°F	39°F, 1990
	Gaylord, MI	47°F	47°F, 1998
	Waterloo, IA	51°F	50°F, 1909
January 4	Marquette, MI	41°F	37°F, 1992
	Green Bay, WI	46°F	41°F, 1946
	Oshkosh, WI	47°F	40°F, 1909
	Appleton, WI	45°F	42°F, 1933
	Sturgeon Bay, WI	46°F	41°F, 1944
	Manitowoc, WI	48°F	45°F, 1897
	Wausau, WI	41°F	39°F, 1992
	Rhinelander, WI	39°F	39°F, 1944
	Wisconsin Rapids, WI	45°F	44°F, 1930
	Marshfield, WI	45°F	39°F, 1916
	Merrill, WI	41°F	40°F, 1944
	St. Paul, MN	41°F	41°F, 1898
	Eau Claire, WI	44°F	42°F, 1916
	Mason City, IA	45°F	45°F, 1964
	Waterloo, IA	49°F	46°F, 1921
January 5	Marquette, MI	36°F	36°F, 1983
	Alpena, MI	48°F	44°F, 1966
	Traverse City, MI	49°F	46°F, 1909
	Gaylord, MI	47°F	40°F, 1966
	Jackson, KY	68°F	67°F, 1997
	London, KY	67°F	66°F, 1955

Precipitation during the first week of January was generally above normal, but portions of Missouri were well below normal. The highest precipitation totals were found across eastern Michigan and northern Ohio, were totals were 200 to 300% of normal. Additional areas of heavier totals were found across northern Wisconsin southwestward into northern Iowa, where residents experienced 150 to 200% of normal precipitation. Meanwhile, a stripe of below average precipitation was found from much of Missouri northeast into eastern Iowa and northeast into southern Wisconsin, where totals this week ranged from 5% to 50% of normal (Figure 2). Snowfall this week was generally sparse, but a swath of 2-5 inches was found across Minnesota into Wisconsin, and additional heavier amounts were found in the lee of Lake Superior (Figure 3). Otherwise, snow was largely non-existent this week except for a quick moving system late in the period which deposited 1-2" of snow across southern and eastern Kentucky.

Drought conditions continue across the Midwest, with extreme drought conditions hanging on across northern Minnesota (Figure 4). The lack of widespread generous precipitation over the past several months has forced Lake Superior to its lowest level in 81 years. It has been so warm for the past several weeks that a few spring flowers are starting to poke through the winter soil in northern Illinois and daffodils were even coming up in central Missouri. In fact, there were even reports of residents who had to cut their grass this week due to the abundant rains of December and the mild temperatures. There are ramifications to the warmer than average conditions, however, including the canceling of ice-fishing tournaments near Minneapolis, MN, and a drop in firewood sales near Cincinnati, OH, while snowplow sales and repairs in a Chicago, IL suburb are down 75% from normal.

 
Soaking Rains Overspread the Midwest

An area of low pressure moved northeast out of Texas on the 4th (Figure 5) producing widespread rains in Kentucky, southern Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio. Rainfall amounts were fairly generous as well, with many locations receiving more than one inch of rain in 24-hour time span (Figure 6). Indeed, Chicago, IL recorded 1.40" of rain on January 4, nearly 72% of the normal monthly January total! Another area of low pressure, with a very similar track to that of the previous storm, brought additional rains to southern Illinois, southern Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky on the 7th (Figure 7).

 
Cooler Weather Returns

Following the passage of a strong cold front on January 7, the Midwest experienced temperatures cooler than where they had been over the past several weeks, but still slightly above average. A quick moving "Alberta Clipper" brought some measurable snow to portions of southern and eastern Kentucky on January 9, causing a few accidents on I-75, but as this event was rather minor, the impacts were marginal across the Midwest. Temperatures behind this system returned to seasonal normals across the region.

Will the second week of January continue with the warm weather or will winter strike a comeback? Find out in next week's edition of the Midwest Climate Watch.

 
Kruk